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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: band · firm · snap · mark · march · nail · field · key

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  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. snap — to speak sharply
  2. firm — a company
  3. field — for sport
  4. snap — to click
  5. key — in music
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. band — a ring
  9. key — the most important part
  10. mark — a trace
  11. firm — decided
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. march — music
  14. field — a subject
  15. march — the month
  16. key — for a lock
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. firm — steady
  19. march — the month
  20. band — a music group
  21. mark — a grade
  22. field — farmland
  23. nail — on a finger
  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