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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 116 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: cabinet · bank · ruler · can · scale · rash · saw · spring

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. spring — of water
  4. scale — in music
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. spring — a coil
  8. rash — hasty
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. spring — the season
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. can — to be able to
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — of a river
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. can — a tin
  19. scale — size or range
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bank — for money
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. saw — the tool

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