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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
468
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: lean · rash · mate · clip · march · stick · cap · net

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. cap — of ice
  3. rash — hasty
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. lean — to bend
  6. mate — a friend
  7. march — the month
  8. cap — a hat
  9. rash — a series
  10. clip — for paper
  11. net — for catching
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. clip — a video
  15. cap — a lid
  16. march — the month
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. mate — to breed
  19. lean — thin
  20. net — after costs
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. net — in sport
  23. mate — a partner
  24. clip — to cut

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