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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. roll — a list
  4. march — music
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — a practice
  8. row — a line
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. roll — a cake
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. march — the month
  14. drill — army training
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. march — the month
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — thin
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. branch — a division
  24. row — to paddle

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