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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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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: march · kick · board · ball · net · track · saw · branch

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. saw — the tool
  3. march — music
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. track — a song
  6. march — the month
  7. ball — a dance
  8. net — after costs
  9. kick — in football
  10. net — in sport
  11. branch — a division
  12. track — a path
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. board — to get on
  16. track — to keep track
  17. saw — the tool
  18. net — for catching
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. march — the month
  22. board — a committee
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. ball — a great time

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