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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: race · key · rock · craft · band · lean · straw · march

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. band — a ring
  3. race — a contest
  4. lean — thin
  5. march — music
  6. rock — music
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. race — humankind
  12. key — the most important part
  13. rock — a stone
  14. key — in music
  15. band — a music group
  16. march — the month
  17. craft — boats
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. lean — to bend
  21. race — the arms race
  22. craft — a skill
  23. march — the month
  24. lean — to rest against

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