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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
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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 · bass · wind · fork · mug · can · fine · hand

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. mug — a face
  4. hand — in cards
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fork — in a road
  7. bass — the fish
  8. mug — to rob
  9. fine — all right
  10. can — to be able to
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. can — a tin
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. mug — a cup
  15. bass — low music
  16. hand — help
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. march — the month
  19. wind — moving air
  20. march — the month
  21. can — a tin
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. fine — high quality
  24. march — music

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