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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. march — music
  5. last — to go on
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. saw — the tool
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. saw — the tool
  13. plane — a tool
  14. can — a tin
  15. season — of the year
  16. can — to be able to
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. last — finally
  19. last — final
  20. march — the month
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. season — in sport
  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