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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. branch — a division
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. bass — the fish
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. hand — in cards
  8. stem — to come from
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. drill — the tool
  11. march — music
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — hurry
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. march — the month
  17. drill — a practice
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. march — the month
  21. hand — help
  22. scale — in music
  23. bass — low music
  24. scale — size or range

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