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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: wake · last · mouse · object · lie · court · march · band

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. march — the month
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. wake — a trail
  6. march — music
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. last — final
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. court — for sport
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. object — to protest
  13. band — a music group
  14. lie — to recline
  15. band — a ring
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — finally
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. object — a thing
  21. march — the month
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — of law

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