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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: file · pass · scale · perch · mine · lash · march · bore

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. march — the month
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — in music
  6. march — music
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. file — a tool
  10. mine — for digging
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. pass — a permit
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. bore — to tire
  16. march — the month
  17. bore — to drill
  18. scale — size or range
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. file — a document
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. perch — the fish
  24. file — a line of people

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