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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: hide · spring · scale · mouse · mate · club · fork · saw

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. spring — of water
  3. mate — to breed
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. spring — a coil
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. club — for golf
  8. mate — a friend
  9. spring — the season
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. scale — size or range
  14. saw — the tool
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. club — for dancing
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. scale — in music
  21. club — a group
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. fork — in a road

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