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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bass — the fish
  4. can — a tin
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bass — low music
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. can — to be able to
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. saw — the tool
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — a division
  18. march — the month
  19. can — a tin
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. lean — thin
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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