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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 · cabinet · rock · squash · swing · land · mouse · branch

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. march — music
  4. land — a country
  5. rock — music
  6. swing — music
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. land — ground
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. march — the month
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. swing — to play on
  17. squash — to crush
  18. march — the month
  19. squash — the sport
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. swing — in golf
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. rock — a stone
  24. land — to come down

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