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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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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: cell · key · band · craft · straw · bay · last · march

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. march — music
  3. craft — boats
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. march — the month
  7. last — to go on
  8. key — for a lock
  9. cell — a phone
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. craft — a skill
  14. march — the month
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. band — a ring
  17. last — finally
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. key — in music
  20. band — a music group
  21. last — final
  22. key — the most important part
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. craft — a handicraft

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