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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 · wave · pop · toast · pitcher · march · rash · file

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. pop — soda
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. march — the month
  9. march — music
  10. file — a tool
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. file — a document
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pop — to visit
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. rash — a series
  17. pop — music
  18. march — the month
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. file — a line of people
  21. toast — bread
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — a division

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