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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 124 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.

Make a worksheet

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: mine · hand · wave · bowl · firm · wound · key · march

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. march — the month
  6. key — in music
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — for a lock
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. firm — steady
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. hand — in cards
  21. firm — decided
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. wound — an injury
  24. firm — a company

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