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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.

Make a worksheet

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: tube · lash · last · date · scale · march · fall · calf

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. fall — to drop
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. last — to go on
  5. march — music
  6. date — the fruit
  7. scale — in music
  8. tube — a container
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. fall — the season
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. march — the month
  14. fall — to drop
  15. last — finally
  16. march — the month
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. scale — size or range
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. tube — the underground
  24. date — on the calendar

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