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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. branch — a division
  3. rock — music
  4. shower — to wash
  5. rock — a stone
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. scale — size or range
  9. shower — rain
  10. march — the month
  11. row — a line
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. march — the month
  14. kid — to tease
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. march — music
  17. scale — in music
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. kid — child
  24. scale — for weighing

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