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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: lean · scale · march · tear · pit · vault · last · stand

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. tear — from crying
  3. scale — in music
  4. pit — in a race
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. last — final
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. vault — a safe
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. march — the month
  11. lean — thin
  12. last — finally
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. stand — to bear
  17. last — to go on
  18. lean — to bend
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. tear — to rip
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. pit — a hole
  23. tear — from crying
  24. lean — to rest against

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