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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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 · spell · march · pitch · object · mouse · tear · bass

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. march — music
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. wound — an injury
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. object — a thing
  11. bass — low music
  12. spell — a short time
  13. march — the month
  14. pitch — completely
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. tear — to rip
  18. object — an aim
  19. tear — from crying
  20. spell — magic
  21. object — to protest
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. march — the month

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