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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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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: cap · roll · safe · branch · coach · club · march · cell

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. club — for golf
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cap — of ice
  6. roll — a cake
  7. roll — a list
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. cap — a hat
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cell — a phone
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. club — a group
  17. branch — a division
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. march — the month
  20. club — for dancing
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. cap — a lid
  24. branch — of a tree

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