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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: scale · spring · drill · field · safe · fork · bound · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  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. cap — a hat
  2. bound — obliged
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. bound — certain
  7. cap — of ice
  8. fork — in a road
  9. field — for sport
  10. cap — a lid
  11. field — a subject
  12. drill — the tool
  13. spring — of water
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. spring — a coil
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. scale — size or range
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — a practice
  21. field — farmland
  22. bound — tied together
  23. spring — the season
  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