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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: object · march · band · bay · key · chest · saw · spell

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. object — to protest
  3. chest — a box
  4. saw — the tool
  5. spell — letters
  6. band — a ring
  7. object — an aim
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. key — in music
  10. march — the month
  11. saw — the tool
  12. march — the month
  13. band — a music group
  14. key — for a lock
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. object — a thing
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. key — the most important part
  19. march — music
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — a short time
  23. chest — of your body
  24. band — a rubber band

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