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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 116 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: mug · bulb · mark · bass · march · scale · branch · drill

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mug — a face
  5. scale — size or range
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bulb — for light
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. bulb — for light
  12. march — music
  13. mug — a cup
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — a division
  18. drill — the tool
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. mark — a grade
  22. scale — in music
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — army training

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