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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: present · pop · saw · wave · wound · sharp · pit · march

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pop — soda
  3. saw — the tool
  4. march — the month
  5. pop — music
  6. present — the time now
  7. pop — to visit
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pit — a hole
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. march — music
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. sharp — clever
  19. saw — the tool
  20. present — there
  21. present — a gift
  22. march — the month
  23. pit — in a race
  24. wave — with your hand

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