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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: net · foot · march · suit · drill · hide · branch · bat

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. net — in sport
  3. foot — a measure
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. branch — a division
  6. march — music
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. suit — in cards
  9. drill — army training
  10. bat — the animal
  11. march — the month
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. suit — clothes
  16. net — for catching
  17. drill — the tool
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. suit — to fit
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. march — the month
  22. drill — a practice
  23. net — after costs
  24. hide — animal skin

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