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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 · dip · land · foot · content · bore · march · jam

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bore — to drill
  3. land — to come down
  4. march — music
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. dip — to sink
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. content — the amount
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. land — ground
  15. content — happy
  16. land — a country
  17. band — a music group
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. march — the month
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bore — to tire
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. band — a ring
  24. foot — part of the body

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