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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: march · roll · mouse · suit · ruler · wake · land · wind

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. suit — in cards
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. wind — moving air
  7. roll — a cake
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. march — the month
  13. wake — a trail
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. roll — a list
  17. land — to come down
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wind — moving air
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. suit — clothes
  23. land — a country
  24. suit — to fit

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