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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.

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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: wound · bear · lean · foot · march · wind · rash · mate

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bear — the animal
  4. march — music
  5. rash — hasty
  6. wound — an injury
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lean — to bend
  9. march — the month
  10. rash — a series
  11. lean — thin
  12. march — the month
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — to breed
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. foot — a measure
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wound — an injury

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