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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. branch — a division
  3. track — a song
  4. tear — to rip
  5. march — music
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. drill — army training
  8. tear — from crying
  9. drill — a practice
  10. dip — to sink
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. tear — from crying
  15. march — the month
  16. vault — a safe
  17. track — to keep track
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. drill — the tool
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. track — a path

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