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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: rash · pound · bay · mine · wind · capital · march · present

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. present — the time now
  4. march — the month
  5. present — there
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. capital — a city
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. present — a gift
  10. rash — hasty
  11. capital — money
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. march — music
  15. rash — a series
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. pound — a weight
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. march — the month
  24. pound — to hit hard

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