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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
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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 · game · chest · rest · bore · race · spring · lean

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. rest — what's left
  5. scale — size or range
  6. game — a match
  7. chest — a box
  8. rest — a break
  9. lean — thin
  10. spring — the season
  11. race — a contest
  12. chest — of your body
  13. race — humankind
  14. bore — to tire
  15. rest — what's left
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — in music
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. bore — to drill
  20. race — the arms race
  21. game — wild animals
  22. spring — a coil
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. lean — to bend

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