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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.

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: tear · march · firm · craft · wake · trunk · scale · field

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. scale — in music
  4. tear — from crying
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. field — farmland
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. wake — a trail
  9. tear — to rip
  10. firm — steady
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. march — the month
  13. craft — a skill
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. scale — size or range
  17. tear — from crying
  18. firm — decided
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. march — music
  22. craft — boats
  23. firm — a company
  24. trunk — of a car

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