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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
468
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: scale · ground · mine · spring · stick · fall · leaves · board

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. ground — a position
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. spring — of water
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. scale — size or range
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — a coil
  11. fall — to drop
  12. board — a committee
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. fall — the season
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. mine — for digging
  21. fall — to drop
  22. board — to get on
  23. ground — the earth
  24. leaves — to go away

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