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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. branch — a division
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. root — of a plant
  5. object — an aim
  6. last — finally
  7. object — a thing
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. wound — an injury
  13. last — to go on
  14. march — the month
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. wound — an injury
  17. object — to protest
  18. root — the cause
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — to shout
  22. last — final
  23. march — the month
  24. root — of a word

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