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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: craft · march · firm · bowl · branch · row · press · rush

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. march — the month
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. press — to push
  10. firm — steady
  11. rush — hurry
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. march — the month
  16. craft — boats
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. firm — a company
  19. march — music
  20. press — a publisher
  21. row — a line
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. craft — a skill
  24. press — newspapers

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