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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. can — to be able to
  6. hand — help
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. can — a tin
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. march — the month
  13. roll — a cake
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bass — low music
  17. roll — a list
  18. can — a tin
  19. march — the month
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. rash — hasty
  22. tear — from crying
  23. rash — a series
  24. nail — for a hammer

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