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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: lean · march · season · fall · rock · scale · wound · chip

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. lean — thin
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. lean — to bend
  5. fall — to drop
  6. rock — music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. fall — the season
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. march — the month
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. season — of the year
  13. march — music
  14. rock — a stone
  15. scale — in music
  16. season — in sport
  17. chip — to eat
  18. fall — to drop
  19. chip — for betting
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. march — the month
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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