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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 · bowl · clip · charge · fine · staff · wound · leaves

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. charge — in control
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. charge — a price
  5. clip — a video
  6. march — the month
  7. wound — an injury
  8. march — the month
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. staff — employees
  11. clip — for paper
  12. wound — an injury
  13. fine — high quality
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. fine — all right
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. clip — to cut
  19. charge — electricity
  20. staff — employees
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. staff — a stick

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