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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 · lean · dip · saw · suit · rock · march · straw

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — thin
  4. rock — a stone
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. suit — clothes
  7. lean — to bend
  8. suit — to fit
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. march — the month
  16. saw — the tool
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a music group
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. dip — to sink
  21. suit — in cards
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. band — a ring

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