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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. spell — magic
  3. march — music
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. pound — a weight
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. scale — in music
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. spell — a short time
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. spell — letters
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. fork — in a road
  20. deal — to handle
  21. wax — to grow
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fine — all right
  24. deal — a big deal

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