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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. can — a tin
  6. race — the arms race
  7. land — ground
  8. bulb — for light
  9. race — humankind
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. land — to come down
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. land — a country
  14. bulb — for light
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. race — a contest
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. pound — a weight
  20. can — a tin
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. march — music
  23. branch — a division
  24. pound — to hit hard

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