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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 120 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 will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. file — a tool
  4. branch — a division
  5. march — music
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. file — a line of people
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. track — a path
  15. march — the month
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a song
  18. mine — for digging
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. file — a document
  24. wax — to grow

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