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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. lean — thin
  4. march — the month
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. lean — to bend
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. can — to be able to
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. spring — the season
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — a tin
  13. march — the month
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. spring — of water
  17. track — a song
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. spring — a coil
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. track — a path
  24. track — to keep track

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