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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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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: march · stick · file · field · drill · scale · jam · craft

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. craft — boats
  4. march — the month
  5. drill — the tool
  6. file — a document
  7. scale — in music
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. file — a tool
  11. craft — a skill
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. drill — a practice
  14. scale — size or range
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. drill — army training
  19. march — the month
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — for sport
  23. march — music
  24. field — farmland

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