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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: staff · mine · cabinet · ball · suit · spring · scale · cold

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. spring — of water
  3. mine — for digging
  4. staff — a stick
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. ball — a dance
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. suit — clothes
  9. spring — the season
  10. staff — employees
  11. suit — to fit
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. spring — a coil
  14. scale — size or range
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. staff — employees
  20. suit — in cards
  21. cold — an illness
  22. ball — a great time
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — in music

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