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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 116 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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. field — for sport
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. march — the month
  5. present — there
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. present — the time now
  9. band — a ring
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. field — farmland
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. present — a gift
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. field — a subject
  21. band — a music group
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. straw — a straw man
  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