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

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. prune — to trim
  3. cue — a hint
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. scale — size or range
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. prune — to trim
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. cue — for pool
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. scale — in music
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. band — a music group
  17. branch — a division
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. fork — in a road
  20. cue — a signal
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. deal — to handle
  24. scale — for weighing

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