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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: club · file · march · snap · bank · calf · branch · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. file — a tool
  4. snap — to click
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bank — for money
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. file — a document
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. club — for dancing
  16. hand — in cards
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. march — the month
  19. file — a line of people
  20. branch — a division
  21. club — for golf
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bank — for money
  24. club — a group

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