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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: sharp · stand · wind · face · march · hide · club · mine

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. march — the month
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. face — to confront
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. face — part of the head
  9. march — the month
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. club — for dancing
  13. club — a group
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. club — for golf
  17. stand — to bear
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. march — music
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — clever
  22. wind — moving air
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. face — to point toward

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