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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: net · spring · pass · fork · chair · nail · stock · scale

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. spring — a coil
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. net — in sport
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — a leader
  9. stock — shares
  10. spring — of water
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. scale — size or range
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. fork — in a road
  17. pass — a permit
  18. spring — the season
  19. stock — goods
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — for catching
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. fork — to eat with

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