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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: craft · leaves · squash · scale · march · spring · cabinet · lie

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. spring — the season
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. spring — of water
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. scale — size or range
  11. march — the month
  12. scale — in music
  13. spring — a coil
  14. squash — the sport
  15. craft — a skill
  16. craft — boats
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. march — the month
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. lie — to recline
  24. cabinet — ministers

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