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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
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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: branch · current · chest · march · scale · mate · lean · file

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. mate — to breed
  3. lean — thin
  4. file — a tool
  5. march — music
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. current — happening now
  8. scale — size or range
  9. march — the month
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — a friend
  13. file — a line of people
  14. chest — of your body
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. march — the month
  17. scale — in music
  18. file — a document
  19. chest — of your body
  20. branch — a division
  21. lean — to bend
  22. current — electric
  23. current — of water
  24. lean — to rest against

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