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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: leaves · calf · march · ground · mark · wound · season · lash

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. mark — a trace
  3. march — the month
  4. ground — crushed
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. ground — the earth
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. season — of the year
  15. march — music
  16. season — in sport
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mark — a grade
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. march — the month
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lash — to lash out

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