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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. march — music
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. board — a committee
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — a practice
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. vault — a safe
  9. branch — a division
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. lie — to recline
  12. cold — an illness
  13. dip — to sink
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. march — the month
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. drill — army training
  19. board — to get on
  20. march — the month
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. cold — not warm

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