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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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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 · bore · mark · suit · fall · bay · coach · wound

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. march — music
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. suit — clothes
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fall — to drop
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mark — a trace
  14. bore — to tire
  15. mark — a grade
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bore — to drill
  18. march — the month
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. fall — to drop
  21. suit — in cards
  22. suit — to fit
  23. fall — the season
  24. march — the month

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