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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: march · current · bat · net · last · branch · coach · mate

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. current — of water
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — after costs
  6. last — finally
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. current — electric
  11. branch — a division
  12. last — final
  13. mate — a partner
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. march — music
  16. current — happening now
  17. mate — to breed
  18. net — in sport
  19. march — the month
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. mate — a friend
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. march — the month

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