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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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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: pass · club · march · bound · branch · sharp · object · cap

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. march — the month
  3. object — to protest
  4. bound — certain
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. cap — a hat
  7. sharp — clever
  8. club — for dancing
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — tied together
  12. club — for golf
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. club — a group
  16. cap — a lid
  17. march — the month
  18. object — a thing
  19. march — music
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. object — an aim
  24. sharp — exactly

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