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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.

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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 · present · bat · bear · leaves · cell · cap

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. scale — in music
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — a lid
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. present — the time now
  8. bat — the animal
  9. present — a gift
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. march — the month
  12. cell — in biology
  13. march — music
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cell — a phone
  18. present — there
  19. scale — size or range
  20. bear — the animal
  21. march — the month
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. cell — in a prison

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