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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: branch · club · bark · saw · tear · tube · bulb · march

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  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. branch — of a bank
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. club — for dancing
  5. march — music
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bulb — for light
  8. tear — from crying
  9. club — for golf
  10. tear — to rip
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. saw — the tool
  16. tube — the underground
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. march — the month
  19. tube — a container
  20. tear — from crying
  21. branch — a division
  22. bark — to shout
  23. club — a group
  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