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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 · cap · scale · ground · saw · fall · can · ruler

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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. ground — crushed
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. fall — to drop
  8. spring — a coil
  9. scale — in music
  10. spring — of water
  11. fall — the season
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. can — a tin
  14. scale — size or range
  15. ground — the earth
  16. spring — the season
  17. can — to be able to
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cap — of ice
  22. ground — a position
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — a hat

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