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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: march · mug · wax · band · bound · pop · craft · drill

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. mug — to rob
  3. craft — a skill
  4. drill — army training
  5. pop — music
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. band — a music group
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. band — a ring
  10. bound — obliged
  11. drill — the tool
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. pop — soda
  16. wax — to grow
  17. craft — boats
  18. pop — to visit
  19. mug — a face
  20. bound — tied together
  21. mug — a cup
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. march — the month
  24. bound — certain

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