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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: toast · roll · arm · can · bound · racket · branch · march

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. can — a tin
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. march — music
  6. can — to be able to
  7. toast — bread
  8. roll — a cake
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. march — the month
  12. can — a tin
  13. branch — a division
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bound — tied together
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. roll — a list
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. march — the month
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. bound — certain

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