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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: land · spring · nail · snap · scale · mug · ball · dip

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. mug — a cup
  4. spring — the season
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. scale — in music
  7. ball — a great time
  8. mug — to rob
  9. land — to come down
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. spring — a coil
  12. mug — a face
  13. dip — to sink
  14. land — a country
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. spring — of water
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. ball — a dance
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. scale — size or range
  23. snap — to click
  24. nail — for a hammer

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