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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 120 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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. march — the month
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. root — the cause
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. band — a music group
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. branch — a division
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — of a word
  17. march — the month
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. band — a ring
  20. plane — a tool
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. march — music

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