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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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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: scale · board · cell · pound · kid · march · root · branch

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. root — the cause
  3. cell — a phone
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. root — of a plant
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. root — of a word
  8. march — music
  9. board — to get on
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — child
  12. pound — a weight
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — in music
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. scale — size or range
  23. board — a committee
  24. branch — a division

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