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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: scale · object · saw · ground · hide · branch · cell · fall

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. fall — to drop
  3. ground — crushed
  4. fall — the season
  5. saw — the tool
  6. object — an aim
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fall — to drop
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. scale — size or range
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. saw — the tool
  13. branch — a division
  14. object — to protest
  15. ground — a position
  16. object — a thing
  17. cell — a phone
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. ground — the earth
  23. cell — in biology
  24. scale — in music

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