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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: pitcher · net · branch · band · march · wave · kick · fork

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. march — the month
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. band — a music group
  7. kick — in football
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. band — a ring
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. march — music
  12. net — after costs
  13. fork — in a road
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — in sport
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. march — the month

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