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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
468
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: scale · tear · branch · spell · club · rash · patient · prune

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. spell — magic
  3. club — for dancing
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. rash — a series
  7. scale — size or range
  8. tear — to rip
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. club — a group
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. rash — hasty
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. spell — letters
  15. branch — a division
  16. scale — in music
  17. club — for golf
  18. prune — to trim
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. spell — a short time
  22. tear — from crying
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. tear — from crying

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