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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. tear — from crying
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. can — a tin
  7. tube — a container
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. tear — from crying
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. can — to be able to
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bank — for money
  15. branch — a division
  16. can — a tin
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tube — the underground
  21. bank — of a river
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bank — for money

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