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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: degree · march · rock · swing · band · land

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. march — the month
  3. rock — a stone
  4. land — ground
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a ring
  7. march — the month
  8. rock — music
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. degree — temperature
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. swing — to play on
  13. degree — from a university
  14. land — to come down
  15. degree — an amount
  16. march — music
  17. swing — in golf
  18. land — a country

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