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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. bank — of a river
  4. last — finally
  5. last — final
  6. march — music
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. march — the month
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bank — for money
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. march — the month
  16. court — for sport
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. court — of a king
  19. stand — to bear
  20. bank — for money
  21. court — of law
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. last — to go on
  24. wax — for sculpting

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