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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — for money
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — a practice
  6. drill — the tool
  7. track — a song
  8. branch — a division
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. track — a path
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. spell — a short time
  15. swing — in golf
  16. spell — magic
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. swing — music
  20. spell — letters
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. bank — of a river
  23. march — the month
  24. track — to keep track

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