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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: can · club · rash · field · branch · mark · fan · march

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. rash — hasty
  3. field — for sport
  4. march — the month
  5. can — a tin
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. rash — a series
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. branch — a division
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. club — for golf
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. club — for dancing
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. club — a group
  18. field — farmland
  19. can — a tin
  20. march — the month
  21. field — a subject
  22. march — music
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. mark — a grade

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