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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: scale · firm · hand · clip · wake · mark · season · wind

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. hand — help
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — a trail
  7. clip — to cut
  8. wind — moving air
  9. season — of the year
  10. firm — a company
  11. clip — for paper
  12. mark — a trace
  13. firm — steady
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. hand — in cards
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. season — in sport
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. firm — decided
  23. scale — in music
  24. clip — a video

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