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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: root · cold · rush · march · swing · band · branch · calf

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cold — not warm
  4. rush — hurry
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. cold — an illness
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. branch — a division
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. band — a ring
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. root — of a plant
  14. band — a music group
  15. root — the cause
  16. march — the month
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. swing — to play on
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. root — of a word
  21. march — music
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — in golf
  24. calf — a young animal

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