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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: clip · bank · snap · staff · scale · spring · game · object

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. scale — in music
  3. object — an aim
  4. game — wild animals
  5. object — to protest
  6. staff — employees
  7. game — a match
  8. clip — a video
  9. bank — of a river
  10. scale — size or range
  11. staff — a stick
  12. object — a thing
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — a coil
  15. snap — to click
  16. bank — for money
  17. staff — employees
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bank — for money
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. clip — to cut

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