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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  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 — the month
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. spring — a coil
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. rock — music
  7. march — music
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. drill — the tool
  10. spring — of water
  11. scale — in music
  12. cue — for pool
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. cue — a hint
  15. lean — thin
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. drill — a practice
  18. lean — to bend
  19. march — the month
  20. rock — a stone
  21. drill — army training
  22. spring — the season
  23. cue — a signal
  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