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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. march — the month
  3. branch — a division
  4. club — for dancing
  5. march — music
  6. lean — to bend
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a line of people
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. chair — a leader
  12. club — for golf
  13. lean — thin
  14. craft — a skill
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. march — the month
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. can — a tin
  19. craft — boats
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. can — a tin
  22. file — a tool
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. club — a group

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