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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: file · present · perch · bound · wave · bass · kid · march

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. present — the time now
  4. march — music
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — to tease
  9. perch — the fish
  10. present — there
  11. bound — tied together
  12. file — a line of people
  13. kid — child
  14. march — the month
  15. bound — obliged
  16. march — the month
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. bass — low music
  19. bass — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. file — a document
  22. present — a gift
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. file — a tool

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