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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: straw · bore · mark · scale · march · band · cap · stick

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. band — a ring
  8. march — the month
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bore — to drill
  11. cap — a hat
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. mark — a trace
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bore — to tire
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. cap — of ice
  18. march — the month
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. march — music
  23. band — a music group
  24. scale — in 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