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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.

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: march · mark · kid · calf · pass · branch · mine · board

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. board — a committee
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mine — for digging
  5. board — to get on
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mark — a grade
  8. kid — to tease
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. march — the month
  12. branch — a division
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. march — music
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. pass — a permit
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. kid — child
  22. march — the month
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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