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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. staff — employees
  3. march — music
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. bear — the animal
  6. hand — help
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. branch — a division
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. date — the fruit
  15. march — the month
  16. last — to go on
  17. staff — a stick
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. hand — in cards
  22. last — final
  23. staff — employees
  24. march — the month

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