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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
468
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: march · current · key · mouse · cold · scale · hide · branch

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. current — happening now
  6. scale — in music
  7. current — of water
  8. current — electric
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. cold — an illness
  11. key — in music
  12. cold — not warm
  13. march — the month
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. key — the most important part
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. key — for a lock
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. branch — a division
  24. mouse — the animal

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