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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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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: march · band · calf · swing · rock · fall · firm · saw

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rock — music
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a ring
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. swing — to play on
  7. saw — the tool
  8. fall — the season
  9. saw — the tool
  10. swing — music
  11. firm — a company
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. rock — a stone
  15. march — the month
  16. firm — steady
  17. fall — to drop
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. swing — in golf
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. firm — decided

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