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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: season · leaves · tear · march · cue · mark · wound · game

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a trace
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. game — wild animals
  7. cue — for pool
  8. march — the month
  9. season — in sport
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. march — music
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. wound — an injury
  16. game — a match
  17. march — the month
  18. cue — a signal
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. cue — a hint
  23. mark — a grade
  24. season — of the year

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