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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.

Make a worksheet

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: lie · branch · stick · scale · key · bark · mine · bowl

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. key — for a lock
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. lie — to recline
  7. bark — to shout
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. scale — in music
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. key — in music
  15. key — the most important part
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. branch — a division
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — an untruth

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