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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: mine · scale · saw · root · object · roll · sharp · content

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. object — to protest
  5. content — happy
  6. roll — a list
  7. root — of a plant
  8. scale — in music
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. object — a thing
  12. sharp — clever
  13. root — the cause
  14. object — an aim
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. root — of a word
  17. scale — size or range
  18. roll — a cake
  19. content — the amount
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. mine — for digging
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. saw — the tool

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