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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: club · branch · track · stem · board · rush · roll · march

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. track — a song
  3. track — to keep track
  4. club — for dancing
  5. club — a group
  6. stem — to come from
  7. club — for golf
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. branch — a division
  14. board — to get on
  15. roll — a list
  16. track — a path
  17. roll — a cake
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — a committee
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. rush — hurry
  24. roll — on a roll

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