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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. spring — of water
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. spring — a coil
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. spring — the season
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bass — low music
  12. scale — in music
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — to drop
  15. can — to be able to
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — a tin
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. branch — a division
  21. fall — the season
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. trunk — 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