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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: branch · march · bulb · lash · nail · net · date · fork

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bulb — for light
  3. march — the month
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. march — the month
  7. net — for catching
  8. branch — a division
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bulb — for light
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. net — in sport
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. fork — in a road
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. date — the fruit
  21. net — after costs
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. march — music
  24. fork — to eat with

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