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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. march — music
  5. lean — to bend
  6. march — the month
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. lean — thin
  10. march — the month
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. branch — a division
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. deal — to handle
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — of water
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. wound — an injury
  24. spring — the season

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