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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: plane · bound · cell · mug · deal · row · scale · mine

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mug — a cup
  3. bound — tied together
  4. scale — size or range
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bound — certain
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. mug — a face
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. row — a line
  17. mug — to rob
  18. plane — a tool
  19. cell — a phone
  20. scale — in music
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bound — obliged
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. row — to paddle

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