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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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Word bank
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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: band · kick · march · scale · tear · firm

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. tear — to rip
  3. firm — a company
  4. march — music
  5. band — a music group
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. firm — decided
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. firm — steady
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. kick — in football
  14. march — the month
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. band — a ring

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