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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: calf · branch · march · tube · pit · fall · snap · key

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. key — the most important part
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. march — the month
  6. tube — the underground
  7. fall — the season
  8. key — in music
  9. march — the month
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. branch — a division
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. snap — to click
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. fall — to drop
  17. march — music
  18. tube — a container
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pit — a hole
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. pit — in a race

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