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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 120 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: drill · pop · march · track · branch · bulb · wound · present

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. present — the time now
  5. drill — the tool
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. track — a song
  8. march — the month
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. pop — music
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pop — soda
  13. drill — a practice
  14. wound — an injury
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. bulb — for light
  17. present — there
  18. track — a path
  19. present — a gift
  20. pop — to visit
  21. branch — a division
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. track — to keep track
  24. drill — army training

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