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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: cue · saw · ball · dip · scale · branch · kid · bass

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. saw — the tool
  3. scale — size or range
  4. ball — a dance
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. branch — a division
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. cue — for pool
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. ball — a great time
  14. scale — in music
  15. bass — low music
  16. dip — to sink
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cue — a signal
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. kid — child
  24. bass — the fish

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