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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 116 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bowl · march · row · lean · scale · rest · staff · fork

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. staff — employees
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. rest — what's left
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. staff — a stick
  7. lean — to bend
  8. march — music
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. march — the month
  11. rest — what's left
  12. lean — thin
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. row — a line
  15. staff — employees
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. row — to paddle
  18. march — the month
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. rest — a break
  21. scale — size or range
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. scale — in music
  24. fork — in a road

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