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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
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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: leaves · scale · squash · mine · last · patient · spring · nail

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. last — to go on
  3. spring — the season
  4. squash — to crush
  5. spring — a coil
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. scale — size or range
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. scale — in music
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. last — finally
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. squash — the sport
  21. last — final
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. spring — of water

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