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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: rash · fall · mine · scale · straw · kick · pop · saw

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. fall — the season
  3. saw — the tool
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. rash — a series
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. saw — the tool
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. pop — to visit
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. scale — in music
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — for digging
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pop — soda
  19. kick — in football
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. fall — to drop
  24. pop — music

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