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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · racket · file · branch · bore · cap · march · shower

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. march — the month
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. file — a document
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. shower — to wash
  7. march — music
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. shower — rain
  10. branch — a division
  11. march — the month
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. file — a line of people
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. cap — a hat
  17. file — a tool
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bore — to drill
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. cap — a lid
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. leaves — 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