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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: straw · band · safe · bass · scale · board · ball · march

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bass — the fish
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. ball — a great time
  13. board — to get on
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. band — a ring
  17. scale — in music
  18. march — music
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. board — a committee
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. ball — a dance
  23. march — the month
  24. bass — low 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