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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: march · spring · mine · stand · scale · cell · arm · charge

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  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. stand — on your feet
  2. spring — a coil
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. spring — the season
  5. cell — in biology
  6. march — music
  7. cell — a phone
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. scale — size or range
  12. stand — to bear
  13. spring — of water
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. march — the month
  16. scale — in music
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. charge — a price
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. charge — in control
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. charge — electricity
  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