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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: fine · degree · wake · mark · calf · fan · march · branch

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mark — a trace
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. march — the month
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. degree — from a university
  9. fine — all right
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. degree — temperature
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. mark — a grade
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wake — a trail
  17. degree — an amount
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. fine — high quality
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. march — music
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. branch — of a bank

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