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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. march — music
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. plane — a tool
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. branch — a division
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. cold — an illness
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. march — the month
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. cold — not warm
  19. rush — hurry
  20. march — the month
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. sharp — clever
  24. cold — the Cold War

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