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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.

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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: fan · track · stand · arm · mouse · spell · scale · spring

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. scale — size or range
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. spring — the season
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — in music
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. spell — magic
  13. track — to keep track
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — a coil
  17. track — a path
  18. spell — a short time
  19. track — a song
  20. stand — to bear
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — part of the body

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