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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: toast · clip · safe · fan · march · trunk · branch · net

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. toast — bread
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. march — the month
  6. net — for catching
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. net — after costs
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. clip — a video
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. branch — a division
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. march — the month
  18. clip — to cut
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. clip — for paper
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. net — in sport
  24. fan — a supporter

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