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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: hand · rush · hide · stick · scale · ground · spring · spell

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  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. spring — a coil
  2. spring — the season
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — a short time
  6. scale — in music
  7. rush — hurry
  8. ground — the earth
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — help
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. ground — crushed
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. spell — magic
  21. hand — in cards
  22. scale — size or range
  23. ground — a position
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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