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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. branch — a division
  4. rash — hasty
  5. pass — a permit
  6. charge — in control
  7. scale — in music
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. charge — electricity
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. march — the month
  14. rash — a series
  15. march — the month
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. wound — an injury
  18. charge — a price
  19. scale — size or range
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — for measuring

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