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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. chest — of your body
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. march — music
  7. land — ground
  8. chest — of your body
  9. march — the month
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. staff — employees
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wound — an injury
  16. land — to come down
  17. chest — a box
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — a stick
  20. march — the month
  21. fine — all right
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. fine — high quality
  24. land — a country

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