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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: ground · calf · wound · pop · march · dip · chest · scale

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. dip — to sink
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. wound — an injury
  7. ground — crushed
  8. march — music
  9. pop — music
  10. ground — a position
  11. scale — size or range
  12. wound — an injury
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. scale — in music
  15. chest — of your body
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pop — to visit
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. chest — a box
  23. pop — soda
  24. chest — of your 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