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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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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: rock · march · arm · court · band · key · wind · craft

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. key — in music
  3. craft — boats
  4. court — for sport
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. key — for a lock
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. key — the most important part
  10. wind — moving air
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. march — the month
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. band — a ring
  15. craft — a skill
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. march — the month
  18. court — of a king
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — a stone
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. court — of law
  23. wind — moving air
  24. band — a music group

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