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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · row · pitcher · stick · court · capital · hide · march

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. court — for sport
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. court — of law
  7. capital — money
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. row — to paddle
  14. march — music
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. row — a line
  19. capital — a city
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. branch — a division
  22. march — the month
  23. court — of a king
  24. capital — a big letter

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