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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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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: mate · wound · toast · arm · wind · mark · hide · march

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mate — to breed
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. march — the month
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. march — the month
  10. mark — a trace
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. toast — bread
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mark — a grade
  17. wound — an injury
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. mate — a partner
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. march — music
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. toast — the most admired

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