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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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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: roll · drill · row · scale · tube · branch · march · hide

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. tube — the underground
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. scale — in music
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. row — a line
  8. roll — a cake
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. drill — a practice
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. row — to paddle
  14. roll — a list
  15. drill — army training
  16. tube — a container
  17. march — music
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. scale — size or range
  20. branch — a division
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. branch — 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