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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. march — music
  7. hand — help
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. march — the month
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. hand — in cards
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. pop — music
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. march — the month
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. pop — soda
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. nail — for a hammer

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