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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: spring · bass · file · scale · craft · row · vault · march

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. row — a line
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. row — to paddle
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. craft — a skill
  7. spring — the season
  8. scale — in music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. scale — size or range
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. file — a tool
  13. spring — of water
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. craft — boats
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bass — the fish
  20. vault — a safe
  21. spring — a coil
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. bass — low 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