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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. can — to be able to
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. can — a tin
  7. march — the month
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. band — a ring
  10. wound — an injury
  11. lean — to bend
  12. wound — an injury
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. march — the month
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. can — a tin
  21. band — a music group
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. lean — thin

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