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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. march — the month
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — a country
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. capital — money
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. board — to get on
  12. capital — a city
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — in music
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — a committee
  21. rush — hurry
  22. scale — size or range
  23. land — ground
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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