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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.

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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. march — music
  3. field — for sport
  4. scale — in music
  5. swing — in golf
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. swing — to play on
  13. bark — to shout
  14. march — the month
  15. field — a subject
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. march — the month
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. field — farmland
  24. swing — music

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