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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
468
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: row · wound · spring · mug · band · mouse · scale · chair

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. band — a ring
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wound — an injury
  7. row — to paddle
  8. mug — a cup
  9. spring — of water
  10. band — a music group
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. spring — the season
  13. chair — a leader
  14. scale — size or range
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. spring — a coil
  20. mug — a face
  21. wound — an injury
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. row — a line

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