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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: march · file · calf · bore · mouse · stick · snap · scale

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. file — a tool
  5. snap — to click
  6. file — a document
  7. scale — in music
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. bore — to drill
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. file — a line of people
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. bore — to tire
  18. scale — size or range
  19. march — music
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. march — the month
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. march — the month

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