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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.

Make a worksheet

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: current · spring · chip · fan · season · march · scale · wound

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. season — in sport
  3. scale — size or range
  4. spring — of water
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. spring — a coil
  8. chip — to eat
  9. scale — in music
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. current — electric
  12. spring — the season
  13. current — happening now
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. season — of the year
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. current — of water
  23. march — music
  24. wound — an injury

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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