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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: scale · ground · wind · spring · drill · mug · mouse · pitch

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. spring — of water
  3. pitch — completely
  4. scale — size or range
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. scale — in music
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. drill — the tool
  9. mug — to rob
  10. ground — crushed
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. drill — a practice
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. ground — a position
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. ground — the earth
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. drill — army training
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mug — a face
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — a coil
  24. mug — a cup

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