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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: scale · hand · key · stem · mine · charge · spring · fall

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. scale — in music
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. key — in music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. mine — for digging
  8. hand — in cards
  9. fall — to drop
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — the season
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. scale — size or range
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. charge — electricity
  17. fall — to drop
  18. spring — of water
  19. charge — in control
  20. charge — a price
  21. stem — to come from
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. fall — the season

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