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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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. fan — a supporter
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. swing — music
  6. march — the month
  7. net — in sport
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. spring — of water
  10. chip — for betting
  11. branch — a division
  12. net — after costs
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. march — the month
  16. spring — a coil
  17. swing — in golf
  18. swing — to play on
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. net — for catching
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. chip — to eat
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. spring — the season

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