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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: march · charge · staff · season · scale · trunk · wound · deal

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. charge — in control
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. staff — employees
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. scale — in music
  12. wound — an injury
  13. staff — employees
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. season — of the year
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. wound — an injury
  18. season — in sport
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. charge — a price
  21. staff — a stick
  22. march — the month
  23. deal — to handle
  24. charge — electricity

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