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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: hand · bowl · rest · staff · land · lean · march · wound

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. rest — what's left
  4. land — a country
  5. march — the month
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. wound — an injury
  8. lean — to bend
  9. staff — employees
  10. rest — a break
  11. hand — in cards
  12. march — the month
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. land — ground
  15. land — to come down
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. wound — an injury
  18. staff — a stick
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. staff — employees
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. march — music
  23. rest — what's left
  24. lean — thin

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