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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 120 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: pop · ground · scale · mark · craft · fall · spring · capital

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. spring — of water
  4. scale — in music
  5. capital — a city
  6. mark — a grade
  7. craft — boats
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. ground — a position
  10. fall — to drop
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. pop — to visit
  13. spring — a coil
  14. fall — the season
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. pop — soda
  17. craft — a skill
  18. pop — music
  19. mark — a trace
  20. capital — money
  21. fall — to drop
  22. scale — size or range
  23. ground — crushed
  24. spring — the season

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