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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 116 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: branch · mouse · fan · fork · cold · track · season · march

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. season — of the year
  5. march — the month
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. branch — a division
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. track — a song
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. fork — in a road
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. march — the month
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. track — to keep track
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. cold — not warm
  23. track — a path
  24. march — music

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