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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  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. band — a ring
  2. march — the month
  3. band — a music group
  4. march — the month
  5. pass — a permit
  6. march — music
  7. court — of law
  8. tube — a container
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. current — happening now
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bank — of a river
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. court — of a king
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — to tire
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. current — of water
  21. bank — for money
  22. current — electric
  23. court — for sport
  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