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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · rule · jam · cell · season · branch · march · leaves

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. drill — a practice
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cell — in biology
  8. drill — the tool
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. cell — a phone
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. season — in sport
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. season — of the year
  20. drill — army training
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. march — music
  24. rule — a law

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