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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. field — a subject
  4. march — music
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. firm — a company
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. march — the month
  15. field — for sport
  16. firm — decided
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — the fish
  19. firm — steady
  20. field — farmland
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bass — low music
  24. straw — a straw man

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