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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: ground · foot · spring · scale · season · saw · nail · march

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. scale — in music
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. march — the month
  5. ground — a position
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. spring — a coil
  8. ground — the earth
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. march — the month
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. foot — a measure
  20. spring — of water
  21. season — in sport
  22. spring — the season
  23. march — music
  24. ground — crushed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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