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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: kid · branch · bass · content · stick · scale · mark · bark

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. branch — a division
  3. bark — to shout
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. mark — a grade
  7. bass — the fish
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. kid — child
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bass — low music
  15. content — happy
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. mark — a trace
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. scale — size or range
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. content — the amount
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. scale — in music
  24. bark — of a tree

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