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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: branch · prune · rash · cabinet · hand · fork · scale · lash

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. prune — to trim
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. scale — in music
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. branch — a division
  10. hand — in cards
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — in a road
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. rash — a series
  21. hand — help
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. scale — size or range

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