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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 116 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: rule · pit · scale · spring · stock · fall · perch · safe

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. spring — a coil
  6. scale — in music
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — to drop
  10. rule — a law
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. rule — government
  14. perch — the fish
  15. stock — shares
  16. fall — the season
  17. spring — of water
  18. pit — a hole
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. pit — in a race
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. stock — goods
  24. spring — the season

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