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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.

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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: march · branch · bark · file · content · scale · net · temple

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. march — music
  3. net — in sport
  4. content — happy
  5. file — a line of people
  6. march — the month
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. scale — in music
  9. scale — size or range
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. march — the month
  12. net — for catching
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bark — to shout
  18. net — after costs
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. content — the amount
  23. file — a tool
  24. scale — for weighing

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