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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. can — to be able to
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. march — music
  7. can — a tin
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. rash — a series
  10. cell — in biology
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. tube — the underground
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — a container
  16. wound — an injury
  17. rock — a stone
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. march — the month
  20. can — a tin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. cell — a phone
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rock — music

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