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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: spring · drill · saw · scale · ruler · bat · net · cue

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. drill — army training
  4. saw — the tool
  5. scale — in music
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. net — after costs
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bat — the animal
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. cue — a signal
  14. drill — the tool
  15. net — for catching
  16. spring — a coil
  17. net — in sport
  18. spring — the season
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. saw — the tool
  21. drill — a practice
  22. scale — size or range
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. cue — for pool

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