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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 124 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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. march — music
  4. mug — to rob
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. drill — army training
  9. drill — the tool
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. drill — a practice
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bat — the animal
  14. march — the month
  15. degree — temperature
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — an amount
  19. march — the month
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. mug — a face
  23. branch — a division
  24. mug — a cup

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