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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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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 · nail · kid · sharp · rock · last · bulb

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. sharp — clever
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. last — final
  6. wound — an injury
  7. march — the month
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. kid — child
  10. bulb — for light
  11. last — to go on
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. rock — music
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. rock — a stone
  18. last — finally
  19. march — music
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bulb — for light
  23. kid — to tease
  24. rock — to move gently

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