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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: season · calf · rush · scale · chip · pop · spring · drill

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. spring — a coil
  3. drill — a practice
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. chip — to eat
  6. pop — to visit
  7. drill — the tool
  8. season — in sport
  9. pop — soda
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. drill — army training
  14. season — of the year
  15. spring — the season
  16. pop — music
  17. rush — hurry
  18. scale — in music
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. spring — of water
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. chip — for betting
  23. scale — size or range
  24. calf — a young animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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