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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
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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: wind · march · land · rash · present · scale · content · firm

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. land — a country
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. land — ground
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. land — to come down
  7. march — the month
  8. wind — moving air
  9. scale — in music
  10. firm — steady
  11. present — a gift
  12. march — music
  13. firm — decided
  14. content — the amount
  15. firm — a company
  16. wind — moving air
  17. scale — size or range
  18. present — the time now
  19. rash — a series
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. march — the month
  22. content — happy
  23. present — there
  24. rash — hasty

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