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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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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: branch · club · cell · march · wake · craft · pound · scale

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. craft — boats
  4. wake — a trail
  5. branch — a division
  6. craft — a skill
  7. cell — in biology
  8. scale — size or range
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. club — a group
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. club — for dancing
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. club — for golf
  22. march — the month
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. branch — of a tree

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