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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. branch — a division
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. spring — a coil
  9. drill — a practice
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. spring — the season
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. spring — of water
  19. toast — bread
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. drill — the tool
  24. toast — the most admired

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