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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: drill · row · march · branch · rule · temple · hide · press

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. march — music
  5. rule — government
  6. march — the month
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. row — a line
  11. row — to paddle
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. rule — a law
  14. press — a publisher
  15. branch — a division
  16. press — newspapers
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. drill — a practice
  19. press — to push
  20. drill — the tool
  21. march — the month
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. drill — army training
  24. hide — to keep secret

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