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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  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. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. scale — in music
  5. tube — a container
  6. deal — to handle
  7. rest — what's left
  8. march — music
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. wind — moving air
  14. branch — a division
  15. scale — size or range
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. mine — for digging
  19. wind — moving air
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. tube — the underground
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. march — the month
  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