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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
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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 · rule · saw · march · prune · spring · mug · can

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mug — a face
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. saw — the tool
  5. scale — in music
  6. can — to be able to
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. can — a tin
  9. prune — to trim
  10. spring — a coil
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. mug — to rob
  13. scale — size or range
  14. march — the month
  15. rule — a law
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. march — music
  18. mug — a cup
  19. spring — of water
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rule — government
  22. can — a tin
  23. spring — the season
  24. saw — the tool

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