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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: lie · scale · band · branch · bass · prune · coach · degree

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. degree — an amount
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. lie — to recline
  6. bass — low music
  7. prune — to trim
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bass — the fish
  10. branch — a division
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. scale — in music
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. band — a ring
  18. scale — size or range
  19. degree — temperature
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. prune — to trim
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. degree — from a university

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