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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: row · march · scale · mate · nail · lash · pit · tear

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. row — a line
  5. tear — to rip
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. mate — to breed
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. pit — in a race
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mate — a friend
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. march — music
  15. mate — a partner
  16. tear — from crying
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. row — to paddle
  20. march — the month
  21. scale — size or range
  22. pit — a hole
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. scale — in music

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