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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.

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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: wound · chair · foot · bass · spring · ground · march · chest

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. chest — a box
  3. foot — a measure
  4. spring — a coil
  5. wound — an injury
  6. ground — a position
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. march — the month
  9. ground — crushed
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bass — the fish
  12. spring — the season
  13. ground — the earth
  14. wound — an injury
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. chair — a leader
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. march — music
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bass — low music
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. spring — of water

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