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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: tube · bowl · branch · ground · fork · board · mate · march

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. tube — a container
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. ground — the earth
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. ground — a position
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. board — a committee
  11. mate — to breed
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. fork — in a road
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. branch — a division
  17. board — to get on
  18. ground — crushed
  19. tube — the underground
  20. mate — a partner
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. mate — a friend
  23. march — music
  24. branch — of a tree

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