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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: game · fine · wake · march · date · branch · kick · hand

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. date — the fruit
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. branch — a division
  11. game — wild animals
  12. hand — help
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. fine — high quality
  15. kick — in football
  16. game — a match
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. wake — a trail
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. fine — all right
  23. hand — in cards
  24. kick — with a leg

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