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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. march — music
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. object — to protest
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. march — the month
  8. object — an aim
  9. spell — magic
  10. tube — the underground
  11. march — the month
  12. spell — a short time
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. object — a thing
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. rush — hurry
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. branch — a division
  23. tube — a container
  24. spell — letters

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