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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: squash · scale · shower · trunk · march · key · cabinet · patient

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. squash — the sport
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. march — the month
  6. key — in music
  7. march — music
  8. scale — in music
  9. key — for a lock
  10. squash — to crush
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. scale — size or range
  13. shower — rain
  14. key — the most important part
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. shower — to wash
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. squash — the vegetable

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