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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: ball · branch · racket · hand · bank · march · mark · wake

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bank — for money
  5. march — the month
  6. bank — for money
  7. ball — a dance
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. hand — help
  12. branch — a division
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. march — music
  15. ball — a great time
  16. wake — a trail
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. mark — a grade
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. hand — in cards
  21. march — the month
  22. bank — of a river
  23. mark — a trace
  24. hand — part of the body

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