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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: wound · scale · pitch · bank · band · file · bay · march

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. scale — in music
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. bank — of a river
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. file — a document
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. band — a ring
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bank — for money
  16. file — a tool
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. scale — size or range
  19. file — a line of people
  20. march — the month
  21. bank — for money
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pitch — completely
  24. wound — an injury

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