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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: foot · scale · degree · spell · lean · bear · mug · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bear — the animal
  3. scale — in music
  4. spell — magic
  5. scale — size or range
  6. mug — a cup
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. foot — a measure
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. lean — to bend
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bear — the animal
  18. spell — letters
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a face
  21. lean — thin
  22. spell — a short time
  23. degree — from a university
  24. lean — to rest against

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