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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: staff · scale · cabinet · game · arm · spring · coach · cap

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. cap — a lid
  3. scale — in music
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — of ice
  7. game — wild animals
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. staff — a stick
  11. spring — of water
  12. game — a match
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. staff — employees
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. staff — employees
  17. scale — size or range
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. spring — the season
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. scale — for weighing

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