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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 will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. spell — a short time
  5. current — of water
  6. spell — letters
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bear — the animal
  9. current — electric
  10. drill — army training
  11. snap — to click
  12. drill — the tool
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bank — for money
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. march — the month
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bear — the animal
  19. current — happening now
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bank — of a river
  22. spell — magic
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. bank — for money

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