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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 · sharp · march · spell · present · rock · tube · rest

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. spell — magic
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. rock — a stone
  7. present — a gift
  8. rest — what's left
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. rock — music
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. present — there
  13. tube — the underground
  14. branch — a division
  15. march — music
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. rest — what's left
  18. march — the month
  19. spell — a short time
  20. tube — a container
  21. spell — letters
  22. march — the month
  23. sharp — clever
  24. present — the time now

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