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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: roll · press · date · mark · bound · club · scale · spring

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. bound — certain
  3. roll — a cake
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. club — a group
  6. scale — in music
  7. club — for dancing
  8. press — to push
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. mark — a trace
  11. bound — obliged
  12. spring — of water
  13. roll — a list
  14. press — a publisher
  15. mark — a grade
  16. date — the fruit
  17. spring — a coil
  18. scale — size or range
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bound — tied together
  22. spring — the season
  23. club — for golf
  24. press — newspapers

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