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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: plane · content · scale · branch · fork · season · cold · stand

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. season — in sport
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. scale — size or range
  7. content — happy
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. plane — a tool
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. branch — a division
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. stand — to bear
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. season — of the year
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. content — the amount
  20. fork — in a road
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. cold — not warm
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. plane — in geometry

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