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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 124 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: clip · spring · mark · foot · stock · key · mine · scale

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. key — in music
  3. mine — for digging
  4. key — for a lock
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. clip — for paper
  7. spring — a coil
  8. scale — size or range
  9. spring — the season
  10. clip — to cut
  11. spring — of water
  12. mark — a trace
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — goods
  15. foot — a measure
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mark — a grade
  18. stock — shares
  19. clip — a video
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. key — the most important part
  24. scale — in music

Multiple-meaning words list

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

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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