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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. swing — to play on
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. branch — a division
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. season — in sport
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bore — to drill
  11. wax — to grow
  12. march — the month
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. swing — in golf
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. swing — music
  19. bore — to tire
  20. march — music
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bat — the animal
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. bore — gave birth

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