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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 116 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: craft · spring · chip · scale · race · stand · march · kick

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. chip — to eat
  4. march — music
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. chip — for betting
  7. race — the arms race
  8. race — humankind
  9. spring — the season
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. race — a contest
  13. march — the month
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. scale — in music
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. spring — of water
  18. kick — in football
  19. scale — size or range
  20. craft — boats
  21. craft — a skill
  22. spring — a coil
  23. stand — for spectators
  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