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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: bat · tube · ball · content · march · branch · saw · can

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. content — happy
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bat — the animal
  6. march — the month
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. branch — a division
  9. saw — the tool
  10. ball — a dance
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. march — the month
  13. tube — a container
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. can — a tin
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. march — music
  18. ball — a great time
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. can — to be able to
  23. content — the amount
  24. can — a tin

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