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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bay · march · straw · game · band · bore · mouse

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — a match
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bore — to drill
  9. march — the month
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. band — a ring
  14. wound — an injury
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. game — wild animals
  17. band — a music group
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. wound — an injury

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