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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: mine · court · wax · toast · march · fall · present · scale

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. present — there
  3. fall — to drop
  4. scale — size or range
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. court — of law
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. court — of a king
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. fall — to drop
  13. court — for sport
  14. march — the month
  15. present — a gift
  16. march — the month
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. march — music
  19. scale — in music
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. toast — bread
  23. mine — for digging
  24. present — the time now

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