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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 120 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: staff · wake · spell · march · mate · prune · scale · leaves

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. mate — a friend
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. wake — a trail
  5. scale — in music
  6. prune — to trim
  7. march — the month
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. spell — magic
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. march — music
  16. spell — letters
  17. prune — to trim
  18. march — the month
  19. staff — employees
  20. mate — to breed
  21. spell — a short time
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. mate — a partner

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