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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.

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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: march · wound · cap · plane · perch · stand · foot · sharp

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. march — the month
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. cap — of ice
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. perch — the fish
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. cap — a hat
  11. sharp — clever
  12. foot — a measure
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. cap — a lid
  16. march — music
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. march — the month
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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