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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: chest · game · band · spring · march · dip · bay · rash

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. spring — of water
  3. game — a match
  4. rash — a series
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. spring — a coil
  8. dip — to sink
  9. band — a ring
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. game — wild animals
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. march — the month
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. chest — of your body
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. spring — the season
  24. game — a kind of play

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