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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: mouse · content · shower · drill · march · branch · stock · key

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  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. branch — a division
  2. shower — to wash
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. key — in music
  5. drill — a practice
  6. march — the month
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. key — for a lock
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. drill — the tool
  12. march — music
  13. content — happy
  14. content — the amount
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. stock — shares
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. key — the most important part
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — rain
  22. drill — army training
  23. branch — of a bank
  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