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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: mug · scale · cap · spring · chip · craft · cold · wound

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cap — a lid
  4. scale — in music
  5. spring — a coil
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. craft — a skill
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. craft — boats
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mug — a cup
  14. wound — an injury
  15. chip — to eat
  16. scale — size or range
  17. cold — not warm
  18. chip — for betting
  19. cap — of ice
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. cap — a hat
  22. spring — of water
  23. mug — a face
  24. cold — an illness

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