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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. season — of the year
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. season — in sport
  9. march — music
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. mark — a trace
  12. march — the month
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — help
  20. mark — a grade
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. march — the month
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. wax — in the ear

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