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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: mate · march · bulb · key · mine · stick · mark · swing

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mark — a grade
  3. march — the month
  4. key — the most important part
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a friend
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. swing — to play on
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. swing — in golf
  16. bulb — for light
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. swing — music
  21. key — for a lock
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bulb — for light
  24. key — 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