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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: snap · spring · firm · bay · object · rock · cold · scale

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. firm — decided
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. snap — to click
  5. cold — an illness
  6. rock — music
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — the season
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. firm — a company
  12. scale — size or range
  13. object — a thing
  14. cold — not warm
  15. rock — a stone
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. object — to protest
  18. scale — in music
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. firm — steady
  21. object — an aim
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. cold — the Cold War

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