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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 120 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: drill · arm · object · swing · march · staff · scale · mine

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. mine — for digging
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. march — the month
  8. swing — in golf
  9. drill — army training
  10. swing — to play on
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — in music
  17. object — an aim
  18. object — to protest
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. staff — a stick
  21. drill — a practice
  22. swing — music
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. drill — the tool

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