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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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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: wind · march · bay · track · present · arm · bound · spring

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. march — the month
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bound — certain
  5. present — there
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. present — the time now
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. spring — of water
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. present — a gift
  16. track — a path
  17. bound — obliged
  18. spring — the season
  19. track — a song
  20. wind — moving air
  21. spring — a coil
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. bound — tied together
  24. track — to keep track

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