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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 · bank · rush · branch · bark · fall · scale · sharp

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. chest — of your body
  3. sharp — clever
  4. fall — to drop
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bank — of a river
  9. scale — in music
  10. bank — for money
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. chest — a box
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. fall — to drop
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bank — for money
  23. scale — size or range
  24. fall — the season

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