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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: cold · staff · club · mouse · scale · present · bear · drill

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. present — a gift
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bear — the animal
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. club — a group
  9. present — the time now
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cold — not warm
  12. scale — in music
  13. present — there
  14. drill — a practice
  15. staff — a stick
  16. club — for dancing
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. cold — an illness
  19. staff — employees
  20. drill — army training
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. staff — employees
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. scale — size or range

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