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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.

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: ground · sharp · rash · track · wound · mouse · spring · march

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. march — the month
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. spring — a coil
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. track — a path
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. ground — crushed
  12. march — the month
  13. track — a song
  14. ground — the earth
  15. spring — of water
  16. rash — hasty
  17. track — to keep track
  18. sharp — clever
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. ground — a position
  22. march — music
  23. rash — a series
  24. spring — the season

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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