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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.

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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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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 · bass · march · game · pass · tear · mug · bound

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. tear — from crying
  3. game — a match
  4. mug — to rob
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mug — a face
  7. march — the month
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bound — obliged
  12. mug — a cup
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bound — tied together
  15. pass — a permit
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. bound — certain
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. wound — an injury
  23. march — the month
  24. game — a kind of play

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