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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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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: bark · bound · fine · mouse · fall · march · branch · bowl

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. march — the month
  6. bark — to shout
  7. fall — to drop
  8. march — music
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. branch — a division
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bound — obliged
  19. fine — all right
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fall — the season
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fall — to drop

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