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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.

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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: bowl · scale · lean · mine · staff · fall · ball · spring

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. scale — in music
  3. staff — employees
  4. spring — the season
  5. lean — to bend
  6. spring — of water
  7. staff — a stick
  8. ball — a dance
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. staff — employees
  13. fall — to drop
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. fall — the season
  17. mine — for digging
  18. fall — to drop
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. lean — thin
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. ball — a great time

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