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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.

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: net · cold · prune · scale · mouse · bowl · branch · temple

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. cold — an illness
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cold — not warm
  5. net — for catching
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. scale — in music
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. net — after costs
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. branch — a division
  17. net — in sport
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. prune — to trim
  21. scale — size or range
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. cold — the Cold War

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