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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.

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: march · bank · tear · pitch · scale · land · dip · present

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. present — the time now
  3. tear — from crying
  4. scale — in music
  5. bank — of a river
  6. present — a gift
  7. present — there
  8. land — ground
  9. pitch — completely
  10. land — a country
  11. march — the month
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bank — for money
  15. march — the month
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. bank — for money
  18. march — music
  19. dip — to sink
  20. land — to come down
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. tear — from crying
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. dip — a sauce

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