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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. wake — a trail
  4. march — the month
  5. bear — the animal
  6. craft — boats
  7. march — the month
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. craft — a skill
  10. tube — a container
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. track — a path
  14. tube — the underground
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. track — a song
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. track — to keep track
  22. wound — an injury
  23. tube — in a tire
  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