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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 116 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: branch · scale · perch · row · press · ball · content · current

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. press — a publisher
  3. scale — size or range
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. current — electric
  6. content — the amount
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. current — of water
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a great time
  11. scale — in music
  12. row — a line
  13. perch — the fish
  14. content — happy
  15. current — happening now
  16. branch — a division
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. ball — a dance
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. press — newspapers
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. row — to paddle

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