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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 · toast · stock · plane · march · wake · file · mug

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. scale — size or range
  3. march — the month
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. mug — to rob
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. toast — bread
  9. march — the month
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — goods
  12. mug — a cup
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. wake — a trail
  15. file — a document
  16. mug — a face
  17. plane — a tool
  18. march — music
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a line of people
  21. scale — in music
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. stock — shares
  24. plane — an aircraft

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