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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: rash · chest · sharp · fine · band · march · wave · firm

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. firm — decided
  4. fine — high quality
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. firm — steady
  7. band — a ring
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — clever
  10. rash — a series
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. firm — a company
  13. band — a music group
  14. rash — hasty
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. march — music
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. fine — all right
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. chest — a box
  21. march — the month
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. wave — of the sea

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