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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: scale · march · wound · fork · cabinet · press · rush · season

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. season — in sport
  4. march — music
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. march — the month
  9. rush — hurry
  10. scale — in music
  11. season — of the year
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — a publisher
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. press — to push
  20. wound — an injury
  21. fork — in a road
  22. march — the month
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — size or range

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