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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: march · drill · cabinet · stock · kick · squash · saw · branch

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. stock — shares
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. stock — goods
  14. march — the month
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — army training
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. squash — the sport
  21. drill — the tool
  22. kick — in football
  23. branch — a division
  24. squash — to crush

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