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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: coach · march · bound · lean · wind · saw · deal · spell

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. lean — thin
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wind — moving air
  6. lean — to bend
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bound — certain
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bound — tied together
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. bound — obliged
  15. spell — magic
  16. wind — moving air
  17. march — the month
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. saw — the tool
  20. deal — to handle
  21. march — the month
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. spell — letters
  24. saw — the tool

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