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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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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: wind · tear · net · bay · ruler · march · ground · mine

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. tear — from crying
  6. net — for catching
  7. tear — from crying
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. march — the month
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ground — the earth
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. tear — to rip
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. march — the month
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. wind — moving air
  20. net — after costs
  21. march — music
  22. ground — a position
  23. net — in sport
  24. ground — crushed

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