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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: march · last · dip · branch · lean · bowl · drill · leaves

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. march — music
  4. branch — a division
  5. last — finally
  6. last — to go on
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. drill — army training
  9. march — the month
  10. lean — to bend
  11. last — final
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. dip — to sink
  16. drill — the tool
  17. lean — thin
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. drill — a practice
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. march — the month

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