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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: march · tube · sharp · band · present · wound · arm · board

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. board — a committee
  8. sharp — clever
  9. band — a ring
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. present — there
  12. tube — a container
  13. wound — an injury
  14. band — a music group
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. present — a gift
  17. march — the month
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. present — the time now
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. board — to get on
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. arm — part of the body

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