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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
468
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: court · wound · mark · scale · wind · cabinet · spring · drill

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — the season
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — army training
  6. court — of a king
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. court — for sport
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. drill — the tool
  15. scale — in music
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mark — a trace
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. mark — a grade
  20. court — of law
  21. scale — size or range
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. wound — an injury

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