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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 · file · kick · pound · drill · march · row · mug

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. mug — a face
  3. row — to paddle
  4. march — the month
  5. drill — the tool
  6. mug — a cup
  7. kick — in football
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. file — a line of people
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. drill — a practice
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. file — a tool
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. mug — to rob
  17. march — music
  18. row — a line
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. file — a document
  22. pound — a weight
  23. drill — army training
  24. march — the month

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