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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: fall · pitch · spring · pass · tear · season · scale · mark

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. fall — the season
  4. spring — a coil
  5. season — in sport
  6. tear — from crying
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. spring — the season
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. scale — in music
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. mark — a grade
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. tear — from crying
  18. season — of the year
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pitch — completely
  21. scale — size or range
  22. spring — of water
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. mark — a trace

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