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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: scale · march · bore · date · fork · cap · calf · wound

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. march — the month
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. march — music
  5. scale — in music
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. scale — size or range
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bore — to tire
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. wound — an injury
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. bore — to drill
  14. cap — a lid
  15. date — the fruit
  16. fork — in a road
  17. cap — a hat
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. march — the month
  24. wound — an injury

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