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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. hand — help
  3. bank — of a river
  4. hand — in cards
  5. branch — a division
  6. bank — for money
  7. race — the arms race
  8. spring — a coil
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. march — the month
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. spring — of water
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. race — a contest
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bank — for money
  17. spring — the season
  18. race — humankind
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. ball — a dance
  23. march — the month
  24. ball — a great time

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