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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 116 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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. mate — a friend
  5. wind — moving air
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. wake — a trail
  10. march — the month
  11. stand — to bear
  12. march — the month
  13. drill — army training
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. mate — to breed
  16. branch — a division
  17. march — music
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. mate — a partner
  21. drill — the tool
  22. fork — in a road
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. fork — a garden tool

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