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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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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: straw · band · saw · march · coach · content · rule · arm

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. band — a ring
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. saw — the tool
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. saw — the tool
  11. content — the amount
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. march — the month
  16. rule — a law
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. rule — government
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. content — happy
  23. band — a music group
  24. march — music

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