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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
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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 · staff · wound · bear · mine · lie · safe · season

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. season — of the year
  3. bear — the animal
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. staff — a stick
  6. staff — employees
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. mine — for digging
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. march — the month
  11. lie — to recline
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. season — in sport
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. staff — employees
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. bear — the animal
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. march — the month
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. mine — an explosive

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