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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: scale · coach · band · face · bound · spell · march · leaves

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. spell — magic
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. march — the month
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. scale — size or range
  7. face — to point toward
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. spell — letters
  10. band — a ring
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. bound — tied together
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. spell — a short time
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bound — certain
  17. face — to confront
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. face — part of the head
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. scale — in music
  22. march — music
  23. band — a music group
  24. bound — obliged

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