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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 116 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: swing · squash · band · drill · march · bound · rock · root

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a ring
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. march — music
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. drill — the tool
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — music
  10. march — the month
  11. swing — to play on
  12. root — of a plant
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. root — of a word
  15. rock — a stone
  16. bound — obliged
  17. march — the month
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — certain
  20. drill — army training
  21. root — the cause
  22. rock — music
  23. band — a music group
  24. drill — a practice

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