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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.

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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. bass — the fish
  6. scale — in music
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. march — the month
  9. can — a tin
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — obliged
  15. scale — size or range
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. hand — help
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bound — tied together
  21. march — music
  22. branch — a division
  23. march — the month
  24. hand — in cards

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