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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: branch · march · rock · swing · ball · season · dip · drill

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. ball — a great time
  4. season — in sport
  5. drill — the tool
  6. march — the month
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. drill — a practice
  9. march — the month
  10. rock — a stone
  11. swing — music
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. dip — to sink
  14. march — music
  15. branch — a division
  16. swing — to play on
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. swing — in golf
  19. rock — music
  20. ball — a dance
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. drill — army training
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. dip — a sauce

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