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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: cold · scale · spring · pitcher · bay · fine · plane · craft

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — the season
  4. plane — a tool
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. craft — a skill
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. fine — high quality
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. cold — an illness
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. cold — not warm
  20. scale — in music
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. craft — boats
  23. fine — all right
  24. pitcher — a jug

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