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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 120 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: can · present · staff · cabinet · lie · march · scale · mine

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. mine — for digging
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. staff — employees
  8. present — a gift
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. can — to be able to
  17. present — there
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. scale — in music
  20. march — the month
  21. present — the time now
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. lie — to recline

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