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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. march — the month
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. shower — rain
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. chest — a box
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rash — hasty
  12. march — the month
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bore — to tire
  17. plane — a tool
  18. march — music
  19. chest — of your body
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. rash — a series
  22. can — a tin
  23. branch — a division
  24. can — to be able to

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