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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: present · wound · rest · march · roll · tear · jam · squash

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rest — what's left
  3. present — there
  4. squash — to crush
  5. wound — an injury
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. rest — what's left
  9. roll — a cake
  10. march — the month
  11. tear — from crying
  12. present — a gift
  13. march — music
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. rest — a break
  16. tear — from crying
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. march — the month
  19. roll — a list
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. tear — to rip
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. present — the time now
  24. squash — the sport

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