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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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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: ruler · mouse · stick · band · chair · march · bank · rest

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. chair — a leader
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. bank — for money
  8. march — the month
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. band — a ring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. march — the month
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bank — of a river
  16. march — music
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bank — for money
  22. band — a music group
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. chair — to sit on

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