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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.

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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: saw · arm · racket · can · scale · row · spell · branch

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. scale — size or range
  3. can — to be able to
  4. branch — a division
  5. can — a tin
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. row — to paddle
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. row — a line
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. spell — a short time
  15. saw — the tool
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. scale — in music
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. spell — letters
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. spell — magic
  23. can — a tin
  24. saw — the tool

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