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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. mark — a grade
  3. pop — soda
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. current — of water
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. current — happening now
  10. cold — an illness
  11. vault — a safe
  12. fork — in a road
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. mark — a trace
  16. cold — not warm
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. march — the month
  21. current — electric
  22. pop — to visit
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. pop — music

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