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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: pitcher · march · spring · drill · track · clip · hide · wave

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. track — a song
  4. drill — a practice
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — a video
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — of water
  10. drill — the tool
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. spring — the season
  14. clip — to cut
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. track — a path
  17. march — music
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. march — the month
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. drill — army training
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. track — to keep track

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