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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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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 · saw · bay · drill · branch · bass · nail · mark

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. saw — the tool
  3. branch — a division
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. bass — low music
  6. mark — a grade
  7. drill — army training
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. mark — a trace
  14. drill — the tool
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. drill — a practice
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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