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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: march · branch · mug · rush · net · row · fan · mark

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  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. fan — a supporter
  2. net — in sport
  3. mug — to rob
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. net — after costs
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. march — the month
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mark — a grade
  15. row — a line
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. row — to paddle
  18. branch — a division
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — a cup
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. mark — a trace
  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