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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
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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: branch · tube · net · field · current · drill · staff · march

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — in sport
  3. branch — a division
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. current — electric
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. staff — employees
  9. drill — army training
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. march — music
  12. field — farmland
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. field — a subject
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — the tool
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — a container
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — a stick
  21. field — for sport
  22. current — happening now
  23. current — of water
  24. net — for catching

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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