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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · scale · track · season · hide · mine · hand · rest

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. hand — in cards
  3. spring — a coil
  4. hand — help
  5. scale — in music
  6. track — to keep track
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. rest — a break
  9. mine — for digging
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. spring — of water
  12. season — of the year
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — what's left
  17. track — a path
  18. season — in sport
  19. track — a song
  20. scale — size or range
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. spring — the season
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. hand — part of the body

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