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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 116 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. saw — the tool
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. march — the month
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — a division
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. saw — the tool
  9. file — a line of people
  10. row — to paddle
  11. march — the month
  12. key — in music
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. key — for a lock
  15. lean — thin
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. row — a line
  20. march — music
  21. key — the most important part
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. lean — to bend
  24. bowl — a dish

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