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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. track — a path
  3. march — the month
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. march — the month
  7. can — a tin
  8. spell — magic
  9. band — a music group
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. can — a tin
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. track — to keep track
  15. spell — letters
  16. can — to be able to
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — a coil
  20. track — a song
  21. band — a ring
  22. perch — the fish
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. spell — a short time

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