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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: rash · branch · sharp · bowl · prune · last · kid · scale

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. last — finally
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. branch — a division
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. rash — a series
  13. kid — child
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. sharp — clever
  17. last — final
  18. scale — size or range
  19. last — to go on
  20. kid — to tease
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. scale — in music
  24. rash — hasty

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