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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 120 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: current · temple · branch · row · net · march · bass · pitch

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. march — the month
  3. bass — low music
  4. net — after costs
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. row — to paddle
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. march — music
  13. current — happening now
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. row — a line
  16. net — for catching
  17. pitch — completely
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. march — the month
  20. current — of water
  21. current — electric
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. bass — the fish
  24. net — in sport

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