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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a partner
  4. bass — low music
  5. current — happening now
  6. mate — a friend
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. present — there
  10. present — the time now
  11. march — the month
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. march — the month
  14. current — electric
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. bass — the fish
  18. current — of water
  19. march — music
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. present — a gift
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — in geometry

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