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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: scale · shower · row · stick · bear · key · mine · bat

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. key — in music
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. shower — to wash
  7. scale — in music
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — to paddle
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. row — a line
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bat — the animal
  14. key — the most important part
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. scale — size or range
  19. shower — rain
  20. key — for a lock
  21. bear — the animal
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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