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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
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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 · court · fine · bowl · leaves · spring · root · squash

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. scale — size or range
  3. fine — all right
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. court — for sport
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. root — of a word
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fine — high quality
  11. court — of law
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. spring — the season
  16. court — of a king
  17. spring — of water
  18. scale — in music
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. squash — the sport
  21. root — of a plant
  22. root — the cause
  23. squash — to crush
  24. leaves — of a tree

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