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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: object · pit · march · stock · pound · patient · drill · band

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. object — a thing
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. pit — a hole
  7. march — the month
  8. drill — the tool
  9. pit — in a race
  10. band — a music group
  11. pound — a weight
  12. drill — army training
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. march — music
  15. object — to protest
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. band — a ring
  20. stock — shares
  21. drill — a practice
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. object — an aim
  24. stock — goods

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