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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.

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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. wound — an injury
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. march — the month
  9. bank — for money
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. march — music
  12. lie — to recline
  13. kid — to tease
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. bank — of a river
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bank — for money
  18. wake — a trail
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. plane — a tool
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. kid — child

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