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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. scale — in music
  5. drill — army training
  6. last — to go on
  7. row — a line
  8. drill — a practice
  9. capital — a city
  10. drill — the tool
  11. branch — a division
  12. scale — size or range
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. rock — music
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. rock — a stone
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. last — final
  21. row — to paddle
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. capital — money
  24. last — finally

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