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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 124 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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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: saw · march · row · pound · charge · chest · wake · ground

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — a position
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — a box
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pound — a weight
  7. march — music
  8. wake — a trail
  9. row — to paddle
  10. charge — in control
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. march — the month
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. chest — of your body
  15. row — a line
  16. march — the month
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. ground — crushed
  20. charge — a price
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. charge — electricity
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. wake — before a funeral

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