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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 116 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: march · sharp · net · stand · mine · mate · bear · spell

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. sharp — clever
  3. march — the month
  4. mine — for digging
  5. spell — magic
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. net — for catching
  9. march — the month
  10. stand — to bear
  11. net — in sport
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. march — music
  14. mate — to breed
  15. net — after costs
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — a friend
  20. spell — letters
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. spell — a short time

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