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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 116 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: hand · bound · fork · mark · plane · branch · march · wind

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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. mark — a grade
  4. mark — a trace
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. fork — in a road
  8. bound — certain
  9. plane — a tool
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. hand — in cards
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bound — obliged
  17. march — the month
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. hand — help
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. march — music
  24. bound — tied together

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