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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · rash · cabinet · mine · spring · row · nail · scale

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. rash — a series
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — clever
  6. scale — size or range
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. row — a line
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. scale — in music
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. spring — the season
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. mine — for digging
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. rash — hasty
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — a coil

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com