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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: hand · coach · march · pitch · band · rest · bulb · drill

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bulb — for light
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. rest — a break
  8. drill — army training
  9. bulb — for light
  10. pitch — completely
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. band — a music group
  14. march — the month
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — the tool
  19. hand — help
  20. march — the month
  21. band — a ring
  22. rest — what's left
  23. march — music
  24. coach — a trainer

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