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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: dip · scale · drill · arm · wound · club · spring · court

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. drill — army training
  4. court — for sport
  5. club — for golf
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. drill — a practice
  8. scale — size or range
  9. club — for dancing
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. scale — in music
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. court — of law
  15. drill — the tool
  16. court — of a king
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wound — an injury
  19. club — a group
  20. spring — of water
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — a coil
  24. dip — to sink

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