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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: cell · firm · scale · shower · spring · pass · bark · fine

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. bark — to shout
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. firm — a company
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. fine — high quality
  9. spring — of water
  10. scale — size or range
  11. spring — the season
  12. cell — a phone
  13. shower — rain
  14. firm — decided
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. scale — in music
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. firm — steady
  23. fine — all right
  24. pass — a permit

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