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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 116 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 · hide · march · wake · mug · file · season · branch

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. march — the month
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. drill — army training
  5. mug — to rob
  6. drill — the tool
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a line of people
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mug — a face
  13. branch — a division
  14. season — in sport
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. march — music
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. season — of the year
  20. march — the month
  21. drill — a practice
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. file — a document
  24. season — to add flavour

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