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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: bass · racket · wind · ruler · band · scale · march · capital

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. march — the month
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wind — moving air
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. scale — in music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. wind — moving air
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. march — the month
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. band — a music group
  17. band — a ring
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bass — low music
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. capital — a city
  23. march — music
  24. scale — size or range

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