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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 116 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
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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 · pitch · row · saw · march · pop · wind · spell

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. march — music
  4. row — to paddle
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. spell — magic
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. march — the month
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pop — music
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. spell — a short time
  16. band — a music group
  17. march — the month
  18. pop — to visit
  19. saw — the tool
  20. spell — letters
  21. band — a ring
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — a line
  24. pop — soda

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