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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 116 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: stand · march · cell · kid · board · plane · straw · scale

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. scale — in music
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. march — music
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. kid — child
  7. plane — a tool
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. board — to get on
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. march — the month
  13. stand — to bear
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cell — in biology
  20. scale — size or range
  21. kid — to tease
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — a committee
  24. march — the month

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