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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: branch · fork · march · sharp · swing · charge · kid · tube

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. fork — in a road
  3. charge — in control
  4. charge — a price
  5. march — the month
  6. swing — to play on
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — to tease
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. swing — music
  11. march — the month
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. kid — child
  14. branch — a division
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. tube — a container
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. charge — electricity
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. march — music
  22. sharp — clever
  23. swing — in golf
  24. branch — of a tree

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