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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: spring · trunk · scale · kid · staff · bore · deal · sharp

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. scale — in music
  3. bore — to tire
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. kid — child
  7. staff — employees
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. spring — the season
  10. deal — to handle
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. scale — size or range
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. spring — of water
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. staff — employees
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bore — to drill
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — to tease
  24. spring — a coil

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