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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
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: plane · march · key · tear · bass · wound · arm · date

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bass — low music
  7. march — music
  8. tear — to rip
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. march — the month
  13. bass — the fish
  14. plane — a tool
  15. date — the fruit
  16. march — the month
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. key — in music
  21. key — the most important part
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. tear — from crying
  24. key — for a lock

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