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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: bank · cabinet · net · scale · mark · squash · branch · bat

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bank — for money
  3. scale — in music
  4. bank — of a river
  5. mark — a trace
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — in sport
  12. mark — a grade
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. net — for catching
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. squash — the sport
  20. bat — the animal
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bank — for money
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. branch — a division

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