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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. march — the month
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. season — in sport
  5. drill — the tool
  6. cap — a lid
  7. march — music
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. stem — to come from
  10. season — of the year
  11. pit — in a race
  12. cap — of ice
  13. branch — a division
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. pit — a hole
  17. drill — army training
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. cap — a hat
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. march — the month
  22. drill — a practice
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. ruler — for measuring

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