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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 116 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: stick · kid · mug · season · net · branch · march · pop

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. kid — child
  3. pop — to visit
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. season — of the year
  6. march — the month
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. mug — a face
  9. branch — a division
  10. net — for catching
  11. pop — music
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. mug — to rob
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. mug — a cup
  17. kid — to tease
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — after costs
  20. season — in sport
  21. pop — soda
  22. march — music
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. season — to add flavour

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