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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: branch · spell · pitcher · swing · march · tube · net · fork

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. net — after costs
  3. swing — music
  4. spell — letters
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. tube — the underground
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. march — the month
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — to play on
  13. march — the month
  14. branch — a division
  15. tube — a container
  16. fork — in a road
  17. march — music
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — for catching
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. spell — magic
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. fork — to eat with

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