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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: bound · kid · march · stand · fine · wave · land · wind

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. stand — to bear
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. bound — certain
  7. land — to come down
  8. bound — tied together
  9. wind — moving air
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — child
  12. fine — high quality
  13. land — ground
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. bound — obliged
  21. land — a country
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. march — music

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