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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — a division
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mark — a grade
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. mark — a trace
  8. band — a music group
  9. swing — to play on
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. march — the month
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. present — a gift
  15. present — the time now
  16. swing — in golf
  17. band — a ring
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. swing — music
  20. march — music
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. arm — a part of something
  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