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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: bound · branch · march · coach · mate · fan · row · fork

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. mate — a partner
  6. row — to paddle
  7. branch — a division
  8. fork — in a road
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bound — tied together
  12. march — the month
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bound — certain
  19. row — a line
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mate — to breed
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. bound — obliged

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