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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: bulb · present · bank · march · last · snap · rock · wound

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bank — for money
  3. last — final
  4. march — the month
  5. snap — to click
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. last — finally
  8. present — the time now
  9. bulb — for light
  10. last — to go on
  11. march — music
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rock — music
  15. wound — an injury
  16. present — a gift
  17. present — there
  18. bank — for money
  19. wound — an injury
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bank — of a river
  22. march — the month
  23. bulb — for light
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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