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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.

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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: foot · chest · lash · deal · last · spring · saw · scale

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — a coil
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. scale — size or range
  8. deal — to handle
  9. saw — the tool
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. foot — a measure
  12. chest — a box
  13. last — final
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. saw — the tool
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. chest — of your body
  19. spring — the season
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. scale — in music
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. last — to go on
  24. chest — of your body

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