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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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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. game — wild animals
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. march — the month
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. march — music
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. march — the month
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. drill — army training
  15. game — a match
  16. branch — a division
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. drill — a practice
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. wake — a trail
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. coach — a trainer

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