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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: cabinet · band · club · spring · pit · scale · object · bay

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. club — a group
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. object — a thing
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. object — an aim
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. club — for dancing
  10. pit — a hole
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. object — to protest
  13. spring — of water
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — in music
  16. club — for golf
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. spring — a coil
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. band — a music group
  23. pit — in a race
  24. spring — the season

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