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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. sharp — clever
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. wake — a trail
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. march — the month
  12. snap — to click
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. fork — in a road
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. sharp — exactly

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