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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 · spell · branch · bowl · mine · bear · pitch · nail

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. march — music
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — magic
  11. bear — the animal
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. branch — a division
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. mine — for digging
  17. pitch — completely
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. spell — a short time
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. mine — belonging to me

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