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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fall — the season
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a music group
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. march — music
  7. bound — certain
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bank — of a river
  10. march — the month
  11. bank — for money
  12. bound — obliged
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mark — a grade
  15. band — a ring
  16. bank — for money
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. fall — to drop
  19. mark — a trace
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. stand — to bear
  24. bound — tied together

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