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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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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: deal · pound · wound · fine · race · spring · scale · rule

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. fine — high quality
  4. rule — government
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. fine — all right
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. race — the arms race
  11. spring — a coil
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. spring — the season
  15. pound — a weight
  16. deal — to handle
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. race — humankind
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rule — a law
  22. spring — of water
  23. wound — an injury
  24. race — a contest

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