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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: scale · mine · present · last · spring · stand · lean · perch

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. scale — in music
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. spring — of water
  7. present — a gift
  8. lean — to bend
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. mine — for digging
  12. present — the time now
  13. spring — the season
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. lean — thin
  16. present — there
  17. last — final
  18. spring — a coil
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. stand — to bear
  23. perch — the fish
  24. scale — size or range

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