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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. cell — a phone
  5. bear — the animal
  6. row — a line
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. cell — in biology
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. branch — a division
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. march — the month
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. dip — to sink
  17. row — to paddle
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. firm — a company
  20. firm — decided
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bear — the animal
  23. firm — steady
  24. march — the month

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