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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 120 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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. wake — a trail
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. branch — a division
  5. game — a match
  6. game — wild animals
  7. spring — the season
  8. bear — the animal
  9. march — the month
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. hand — help
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — a coil
  20. march — the month
  21. bear — the animal
  22. plane — a tool
  23. hand — in cards
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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