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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 116 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: hand · game · suit · firm · fall · branch · mine · march

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. march — music
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. game — wild animals
  5. fall — to drop
  6. game — a match
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. fall — the season
  9. suit — clothes
  10. mine — for digging
  11. march — the month
  12. branch — a division
  13. firm — steady
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — help
  16. suit — to fit
  17. firm — decided
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. fall — to drop
  21. suit — in cards
  22. march — the month
  23. hand — in cards
  24. mine — belonging to me

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