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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: present · scale · plane · hide · stick · bound · content · march

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. march — music
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bound — tied together
  6. present — there
  7. content — the amount
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — certain
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. scale — size or range
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. plane — a tool
  14. content — happy
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. present — a gift
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. scale — in music

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