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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 120 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: nail · lie · march · bass · drill · perch · hand · rash

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. bass — the fish
  4. drill — the tool
  5. rash — a series
  6. march — the month
  7. hand — in cards
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. drill — a practice
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bass — low music
  19. hand — help
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. perch — the fish
  22. drill — army training
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. rash — on the skin

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