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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: land · march · cue · band · charge · can · stick · lean

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. cue — a signal
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — a tin
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. charge — in control
  10. cue — a hint
  11. charge — electricity
  12. charge — a price
  13. land — ground
  14. march — music
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a ring
  17. cue — for pool
  18. lean — thin
  19. lean — to bend
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — a country
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. can — to be able to

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