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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 · wound · racket · rash · ground · bulb · hide · branch

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  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. branch — of a tree
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wound — an injury
  5. ground — crushed
  6. scale — in music
  7. branch — a division
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. ground — the earth
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bulb — for light
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. rash — a series
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. ground — a position
  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