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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: march · branch · fork · content · lash · firm · rush · drill

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. firm — steady
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. rush — hurry
  8. content — happy
  9. firm — decided
  10. content — the amount
  11. branch — a division
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. firm — a company
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. fork — in a road
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. drill — the tool
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. march — the month
  23. drill — army training
  24. drill — a practice

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