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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. spring — a coil
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — in music
  7. spring — of water
  8. charge — a price
  9. spring — the season
  10. march — the month
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. charge — in control
  14. charge — electricity
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bank — for money
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — of a river
  22. march — the month
  23. lie — to recline
  24. scale — size or range

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