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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 · tear · rash · coach · wound · mouse · cap · wave

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. cap — a hat
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. tear — to rip
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. cap — a lid
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. march — music
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wound — an injury
  12. march — the month
  13. tear — from crying
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. march — the month
  16. rash — a series
  17. cap — of ice
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. mouse — for a computer

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