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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: march · wind · bark · court · leaves · branch · wave · mate

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. court — of law
  6. wind — moving air
  7. march — the month
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. mate — to breed
  11. branch — a division
  12. march — the month
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mate — a partner
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wind — moving air
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. court — of a king
  22. march — music
  23. bark — to shout
  24. court — for sport

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