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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 · pound · scale · march · hide · current · coach · stem

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. stem — to come from
  6. pound — a weight
  7. scale — size or range
  8. branch — a division
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. scale — in music
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. current — happening now
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. march — the month
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. current — of water
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. current — electric

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