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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 116 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: swing · can · band · hide · march · straw · pop · nail

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. can — a tin
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. pop — to visit
  5. swing — music
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. march — the month
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. swing — in golf
  13. band — a music group
  14. can — to be able to
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. can — a tin
  17. pop — soda
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pop — music
  20. march — music
  21. band — a ring
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. swing — to play on
  24. hide — to keep secret

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