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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 120 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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — to wash
  4. lean — thin
  5. march — the month
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. object — to protest
  13. object — a thing
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. band — a music group
  16. object — an aim
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. march — the month
  20. scale — size or range
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — in music
  24. band — a ring

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