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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.

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
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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 · mine · leaves · spell · court · tear

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. tear — to rip
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. court — of law
  5. tear — from crying
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. tear — from crying
  8. court — of a king
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. spell — letters
  11. court — for sport
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. spell — a short time
  16. mine — for digging
  17. spell — magic
  18. leaves — to go away

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