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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: spring · cue · can · drill · scale · wind · mine · club

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. cue — for pool
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — a coil
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. can — to be able to
  9. drill — a practice
  10. scale — size or range
  11. cue — a hint
  12. mine — for digging
  13. scale — in music
  14. drill — the tool
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. can — a tin
  17. cue — a signal
  18. wind — moving air
  19. drill — army training
  20. club — a group
  21. spring — of water
  22. club — for golf
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. can — a tin

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