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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: hand · branch · season · fall · snap · date · scale · firm

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. fall — to drop
  6. hand — in cards
  7. scale — in music
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. hand — help
  10. firm — steady
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. season — in sport
  13. fall — the season
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to click
  16. date — the fruit
  17. fall — to drop
  18. firm — a company
  19. firm — decided
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. branch — a division
  23. scale — size or range
  24. season — of the year

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