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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. march — the month
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — a division
  7. spell — letters
  8. saw — the tool
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. track — a path
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. spell — a short time
  14. march — music
  15. saw — the tool
  16. rush — hurry
  17. staff — a stick
  18. march — the month
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. staff — employees
  21. track — to keep track
  22. spell — magic
  23. track — a song
  24. staff — employees

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