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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 120 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: mug · bowl · snap · kid · fork · branch · kick · march

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mug — a face
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. kick — in football
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — a division
  8. snap — to click
  9. mug — to rob
  10. march — the month
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. kid — child
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. kid — to tease
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. mug — a cup
  20. march — music
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. fork — in a road

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