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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 120 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 · march · file · mark · pitch · row · wax · can

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. pitch — completely
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. file — a document
  13. march — the month
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — a trace
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. can — a tin
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. branch — a division
  20. file — a line of people
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. row — to paddle
  23. file — a tool
  24. row — a line

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