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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. object — to protest
  3. march — the month
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. object — an aim
  8. march — the month
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. band — a ring
  11. scale — size or range
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. scale — in music
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. march — music
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. object — a thing
  24. coach — a trainer

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