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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — in cards
  3. drill — a practice
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. march — music
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bound — certain
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. bound — obliged
  15. plane — a tool
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. stand — to bear
  19. branch — a division
  20. march — the month
  21. drill — the tool
  22. bound — tied together
  23. drill — army training
  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