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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: hide · present · spring · cap · scale · key · squash · land

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — of ice
  4. key — the most important part
  5. present — the time now
  6. key — for a lock
  7. present — a gift
  8. spring — the season
  9. cap — a hat
  10. key — in music
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. land — ground
  15. land — to come down
  16. scale — in music
  17. land — a country
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. spring — of water
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the sport
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. present — there
  24. spring — a coil

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