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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.

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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: deal · land · bound · scale · wake · arm · leaves · march

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. scale — size or range
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. land — ground
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — obliged
  10. scale — in music
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. march — music
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. bound — tied together
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. land — to come down
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. land — a country
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. deal — to handle

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