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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.

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: chair · pound · ground · march · mouse · fan · wave · hand

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. ground — a position
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. ground — the earth
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. chair — a leader
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. hand — in cards
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. march — the month
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. march — the month
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. ground — crushed
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pound — a weight
  24. hand — help

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