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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: chest · bass · fork · branch · toast · scale

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. chest — of your body
  3. scale — in music
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. toast — bread
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. bass — the fish
  12. chest — of your body
  13. branch — a division
  14. scale — size or range
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. chest — a box
  18. bass — low music

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