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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: bank · clip · branch · fine · current · stick · pitcher · march

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. bank — for money
  5. current — of water
  6. fine — all right
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. march — the month
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. fine — high quality
  11. branch — a division
  12. clip — for paper
  13. bank — of a river
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. march — music
  17. current — electric
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. clip — a video
  20. clip — to cut
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. current — happening now
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. march — the month

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