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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. mark — a trace
  3. march — music
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. march — the month
  7. mark — a grade
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. fall — to drop
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. vault — a safe
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. march — the month
  20. fall — the season
  21. branch — a division
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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