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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. branch — a division
  3. march — the month
  4. tear — from crying
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. object — an aim
  7. suit — in cards
  8. tear — from crying
  9. present — the time now
  10. suit — clothes
  11. present — a gift
  12. net — after costs
  13. suit — to fit
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. present — there
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. object — a thing
  18. date — the fruit
  19. march — music
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. net — in sport
  22. march — the month
  23. tear — to rip
  24. net — for catching

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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