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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: branch · net · ruler · face · kick · march · hide · stick

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. march — the month
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. branch — a division
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. face — part of the head
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — to point toward
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. net — after costs
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. net — for catching
  16. march — the month
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. march — music
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. net — in sport
  22. kick — in football
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. ruler — a monarch

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