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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. branch — a division
  5. bound — certain
  6. wake — a trail
  7. last — final
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — money
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. march — music
  12. bound — tied together
  13. last — finally
  14. suit — clothes
  15. dip — to sink
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bound — obliged
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. suit — to fit
  21. march — the month
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. suit — in cards
  24. last — to go on

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