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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
468
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: field · march · land · stock · mouse · chip · scale · branch

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. scale — in music
  3. chip — for betting
  4. branch — a division
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. stock — shares
  7. march — the month
  8. land — a country
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — farmland
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. chip — to eat
  13. scale — size or range
  14. march — the month
  15. field — for sport
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. land — to come down
  18. stock — goods
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. march — music
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. land — ground

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