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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. march — music
  3. saw — the tool
  4. field — farmland
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. staff — employees
  7. bear — the animal
  8. field — a subject
  9. staff — employees
  10. fall — to drop
  11. field — for sport
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. march — the month
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. branch — a division
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bear — the animal
  18. fall — to drop
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. fall — the season
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. saw — the tool
  23. march — the month
  24. pitcher — a jug

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