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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
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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 · staff · toast · mouse · scale · shower · object · content

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. scale — in music
  5. scale — size or range
  6. object — an aim
  7. shower — rain
  8. spring — the season
  9. toast — bread
  10. staff — a stick
  11. content — happy
  12. shower — to wash
  13. staff — employees
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. object — a thing
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — of water
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. object — to protest
  24. content — the amount

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