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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  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. hand — help
  2. march — the month
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. bank — for money
  5. field — for sport
  6. wound — an injury
  7. branch — a division
  8. field — farmland
  9. march — music
  10. field — a subject
  11. key — for a lock
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bank — for money
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. wound — an injury
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bank — of a river
  20. key — in music
  21. hand — in cards
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. key — the most important part
  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