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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: arm · mouse · pound · march · leaves · kid · rock · wound

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. march — music
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. pound — a weight
  8. kid — child
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. march — the month
  11. kid — to tease
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. rock — a stone
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. march — the month
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. rock — music
  22. wound — an injury
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. mouse — the animal

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