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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.

Make a worksheet

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: spell · march · rock · pound · shower · straw · bound · toast

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — a stone
  4. shower — to wash
  5. spell — letters
  6. bound — tied together
  7. toast — bread
  8. spell — magic
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. march — music
  11. bound — certain
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. pound — a weight
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. rock — music
  16. spell — a short time
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. shower — rain
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bound — obliged
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. march — the month

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