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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. wound — an injury
  5. march — the month
  6. season — in sport
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wound — an injury
  9. band — a music group
  10. board — to get on
  11. board — a committee
  12. bank — of a river
  13. bank — for money
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. bank — for money
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. season — of the year
  19. band — a ring
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. march — the month
  24. band — a rubber band

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