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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
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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 · march · present · land · can · object · file · mine

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. mine — for digging
  3. present — the time now
  4. can — to be able to
  5. march — the month
  6. wound — an injury
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a line of people
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. file — a document
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. land — ground
  14. object — to protest
  15. can — a tin
  16. land — a country
  17. object — an aim
  18. present — a gift
  19. land — to come down
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. wound — an injury
  23. can — a tin
  24. object — a thing

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