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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.

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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: lean · bear · wound · march · object · charge · present · land

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. object — to protest
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. march — the month
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. land — ground
  7. march — music
  8. wound — an injury
  9. present — a gift
  10. charge — a price
  11. lean — thin
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. land — a country
  15. lean — to bend
  16. present — the time now
  17. charge — in control
  18. present — there
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. charge — electricity
  22. object — a thing
  23. object — an aim
  24. land — to come down

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