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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: firm · track · drill · capital · toast · branch · march · ruler

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. capital — money
  4. drill — the tool
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. drill — a practice
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. branch — a division
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. firm — steady
  11. firm — a company
  12. capital — a city
  13. track — a song
  14. track — a path
  15. march — the month
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. track — to keep track
  18. march — the month
  19. firm — decided
  20. march — music
  21. drill — army training
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — of a bank

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