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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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. land — ground
  4. pop — to visit
  5. ball — a great time
  6. land — a country
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. field — for sport
  9. pop — music
  10. firm — steady
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — a stone
  13. field — farmland
  14. march — the month
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. land — to come down
  17. branch — a division
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. field — a subject
  20. firm — a company
  21. pop — soda
  22. march — music
  23. firm — decided
  24. ball — a dance

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