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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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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: club · scale · rest · march · face · fork · band · stick

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. march — the month
  3. band — a music group
  4. rest — what's left
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. march — the month
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fork — in a road
  9. rest — what's left
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. face — to point toward
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. band — a ring
  14. club — for dancing
  15. march — music
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. face — part of the head
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. rest — a break
  20. club — a group
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — in music
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. face — to confront

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