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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. present — a gift
  3. present — there
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — certain
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. march — the month
  8. key — for a lock
  9. face — to confront
  10. bound — tied together
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to point toward
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. march — music
  15. branch — a division
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. row — a line
  19. present — the time now
  20. key — the most important part
  21. row — to paddle
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. march — the month
  24. key — in music

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