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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: date · mine · scale · last · present · mark · wave · cold

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. scale — in music
  4. present — there
  5. cold — not warm
  6. present — the time now
  7. last — to go on
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. mine — for digging
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. mark — a trace
  13. scale — size or range
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. cold — an illness
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. present — a gift
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. last — finally
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. date — the fruit
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. last — final

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