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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: scale · pop · cell · rule · spring · fall · bore · pit

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. scale — in music
  3. cell — a phone
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. spring — a coil
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. pop — music
  8. spring — of water
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. rule — government
  13. scale — size or range
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pop — soda
  16. bore — to drill
  17. rule — a law
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pit — in a race
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — gave birth

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