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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: kid · bass · arm · march · dip · band · mouse · hand

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bass — low music
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. band — a ring
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. dip — to sink
  8. bass — the fish
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. hand — help
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. hand — in cards
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. band — a music group
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. kid — child
  19. march — music
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. kid — to tease
  24. march — the month

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