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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 120 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: cabinet · straw · shower · scale · season · fine · nail · spell

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. scale — in music
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. season — of the year
  6. scale — size or range
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. shower — to wash
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. spell — magic
  14. shower — rain
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. season — in sport
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. fine — all right
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. spell — a short time
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. spell — letters
  24. straw — dry grass

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