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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. march — the month
  3. wound — an injury
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. march — the month
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. current — happening now
  10. date — the fruit
  11. branch — a division
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. march — music
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. lean — to bend
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. lean — thin
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. current — electric
  21. current — of water
  22. rule — government
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. plane — a 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