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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.

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: ground · trunk · wound · file · bound · march · club · bay

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bound — tied together
  4. march — music
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. bound — certain
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. march — the month
  9. club — for golf
  10. file — a line of people
  11. march — the month
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. ground — a position
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. file — a document
  17. wound — an injury
  18. ground — crushed
  19. club — a group
  20. bound — obliged
  21. club — for dancing
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. ground — the earth
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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