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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — thin
  4. track — a path
  5. march — music
  6. drill — army training
  7. march — the month
  8. track — to keep track
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. lean — to bend
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. march — the month
  14. branch — a division
  15. track — a song
  16. drill — the tool
  17. file — a document
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a line of people
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. trunk — of a tree

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