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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fork · game · scale · mate · band · toast · dip · spring

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. spring — of water
  3. mate — a partner
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. scale — in music
  6. band — a ring
  7. spring — the season
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. band — a music group
  10. toast — bread
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — in a road
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. dip — to sink
  16. spring — a coil
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. mate — to breed
  19. scale — size or range
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. game — a match
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. mate — a friend
  24. fork — to eat with

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