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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: calf · march · branch · current · row · kid · temple · last

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. last — finally
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. march — music
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. row — to paddle
  9. kid — child
  10. row — a line
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. last — final
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. march — the month
  15. current — happening now
  16. last — to go on
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. kid — to tease
  19. current — of water
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. current — electric
  24. branch — a division

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