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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: bark · cue · wave · branch · march · bat · racket · calf

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. branch — a division
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. march — the month
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bark — to shout
  11. cue — for pool
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bat — the animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. march — music
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. march — the month
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. wave — with your hand

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