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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: temple · wound · march · arm · fan · coach · pound · rash

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  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. fan — to cool the air
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. pound — a weight
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. march — the month
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rash — a series
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. march — music
  15. rash — hasty
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. march — the month
  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