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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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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: firm · mate · wound · ruler · stick · craft · march · hide

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. craft — boats
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. march — music
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. firm — steady
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — a skill
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. march — the month
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. firm — a company
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. mate — to breed
  18. firm — decided
  19. mate — a friend
  20. march — the month
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. wound — an injury
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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