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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: band · charge · lie · march · roll · wind · mouse · hide

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. charge — electricity
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. march — the month
  8. lie — to recline
  9. charge — a price
  10. roll — a cake
  11. charge — in control
  12. roll — a list
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. wind — moving air
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. wind — moving air
  18. band — a ring
  19. march — music
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. march — the month
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. wind — to turn a key

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