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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: spring · court · march · bat · suit · fork · mug · branch

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. court — of law
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. march — the month
  6. mug — a face
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. court — for sport
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — the season
  12. mug — a cup
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. suit — in cards
  15. bat — the animal
  16. fork — in a road
  17. suit — to fit
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. branch — a division
  20. march — music
  21. spring — a coil
  22. suit — clothes
  23. mug — to rob
  24. court — of a king

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