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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: land · roll · branch · march · chip · club · calf · file

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. club — for dancing
  4. march — music
  5. file — a line of people
  6. march — the month
  7. file — a document
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. march — the month
  10. club — for golf
  11. file — a tool
  12. land — a country
  13. chip — for betting
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. land — to come down
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. branch — a division
  19. club — a group
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. roll — a cake
  23. roll — a list
  24. land — ground

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