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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  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. last — to go on
  2. march — the month
  3. last — final
  4. band — a music group
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. bore — to tire
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. last — finally
  10. bore — to drill
  11. club — a group
  12. branch — a division
  13. club — for dancing
  14. band — a ring
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. lean — thin
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. lean — to bend
  22. club — for golf
  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