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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. march — the month
  3. branch — a division
  4. drill — the tool
  5. spell — a short time
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. spell — letters
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — a practice
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. board — a committee
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. board — to get on
  24. pitcher — a jug

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