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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: calf · wound · tear · march · bass · last · dip · toast

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  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. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the fish
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. dip — to sink
  8. wound — an injury
  9. last — to go on
  10. toast — bread
  11. last — final
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. last — finally
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. tear — from crying
  23. calf — of the leg
  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