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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 · sharp · bark · mug · branch · stick · snap · net

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — a division
  4. sharp — clever
  5. march — music
  6. bark — to shout
  7. mug — a face
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. net — in sport
  12. mug — a cup
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. march — the month
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. snap — to click
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. net — after costs
  23. march — the month
  24. net — for catching

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