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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: march · wind · object · rock · staff · mine · wound · rest

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. march — the month
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. wind — moving air
  7. rock — music
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. mine — for digging
  10. staff — employees
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. rest — what's left
  14. staff — a stick
  15. wound — an injury
  16. march — music
  17. object — an aim
  18. rest — a break
  19. march — the month
  20. rock — a stone
  21. staff — employees
  22. object — to protest
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. wind — moving air

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