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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.

Make a worksheet

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: scale · press · shower · stick · court · leaves · bear · march

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. bear — the animal
  3. march — the month
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. press — to push
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. shower — to wash
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. bear — the animal
  12. court — of law
  13. march — music
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. shower — rain
  16. scale — size or range
  17. march — the month
  18. scale — in music
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. press — newspapers
  21. court — of a king
  22. press — a publisher
  23. court — for sport
  24. leaves — lets stay

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