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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
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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: wound · content · march · mouse · branch · cue · deal · current

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. march — the month
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. current — happening now
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. current — of water
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — a division
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — happy
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cue — for pool
  21. deal — to handle
  22. cue — a hint
  23. wound — an injury
  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