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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: rule · land · saw · band · march · fine · trunk · rash

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. saw — the tool
  4. band — a ring
  5. rule — a law
  6. rule — government
  7. fine — high quality
  8. march — music
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. rash — hasty
  12. land — to come down
  13. saw — the tool
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. land — ground
  17. rash — a series
  18. band — a music group
  19. land — a country
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. fine — all right
  24. trunk — of a car

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