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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: branch · swing · march · bore · drill · calf · mine · stock

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bore — to drill
  3. mine — for digging
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. drill — a practice
  8. march — the month
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — a division
  11. swing — to play on
  12. swing — in golf
  13. stock — shares
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. swing — music
  18. march — the month
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bore — to tire
  22. drill — the tool
  23. stock — goods
  24. march — music

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