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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 116 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: spring · bay · hand · fine · cabinet · rock · scale · deal

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. fine — high quality
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. scale — in music
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. scale — size or range
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. rock — a stone
  15. hand — in cards
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. hand — help
  19. fine — all right
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. deal — to handle
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. spring — of water

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