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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: net · march · bowl · branch · current · saw · date · ball

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. net — after costs
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. branch — a division
  8. date — the fruit
  9. current — happening now
  10. ball — a dance
  11. march — the month
  12. net — in sport
  13. current — electric
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. march — the month
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. net — for catching
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. saw — the tool
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. march — music
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. current — of water

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