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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. staff — employees
  3. march — the month
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. branch — a division
  9. staff — employees
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. march — music
  17. wound — an injury
  18. staff — a stick
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — to drill

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