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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. march — music
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. march — the month
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. bore — to tire
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. march — the month
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. tear — from crying
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bear — the animal
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bear — the animal
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — a division
  23. squash — to crush
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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