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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: kick · lie · march · clip · key · patient · band · stand

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. key — for a lock
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. key — in music
  9. kick — in football
  10. march — the month
  11. clip — for paper
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. band — a ring
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. march — music
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. march — the month
  21. lie — to recline
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — to cut
  24. key — the most important part

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