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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: wound · present · track · march · rush · dip · fan · pop

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. track — a path
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. march — the month
  7. dip — to sink
  8. present — a gift
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pop — to visit
  11. track — a song
  12. pop — soda
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. track — to keep track
  19. present — there
  20. present — the time now
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. pop — music
  24. dip — to dunk

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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