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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 · march · shower · mouse · can · chest · mine · fork

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fork — in a road
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. shower — rain
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. chest — a box
  11. march — music
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. band — a music group
  15. can — to be able to
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. band — a ring
  21. chest — of your body
  22. shower — to wash
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. march — the month

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