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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: wake · object · pop · plane · march · court · wound · rush

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. pop — to visit
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. object — to protest
  6. object — a thing
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. rush — hurry
  9. pop — soda
  10. court — of law
  11. wound — an injury
  12. plane — a tool
  13. object — an aim
  14. pop — music
  15. wake — a trail
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. wound — an injury
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. court — of a king
  22. march — the month
  23. court — for sport
  24. march — music

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