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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 · capital · fork · swing · spring · bear · stand · bat

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. bear — the animal
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. capital — a city
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — size or range
  11. fork — in a road
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. swing — to play on
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. capital — money
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. swing — music
  19. stand — to bear
  20. scale — in music
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — the season
  23. swing — in golf
  24. spring — a coil

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