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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. craft — boats
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. march — the month
  8. degree — temperature
  9. craft — a skill
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — a division
  14. degree — from a university
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — a trail
  17. degree — an amount
  18. racket — for tennis

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