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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: spring · chair · arm · pitcher · band · scale · nail · cell

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. spring — the season
  5. band — a ring
  6. cell — in biology
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. spring — of water
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. scale — size or range
  13. chair — a leader
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. scale — in music
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. spring — a coil
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a music group

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