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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. degree — from a university
  8. net — in sport
  9. march — the month
  10. degree — an amount
  11. branch — a division
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. net — for catching
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. march — the month
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — a trail
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. plane — a tool
  21. net — after costs
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. degree — temperature

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