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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: rule · game · branch · scale · band · wax · prune · stand

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. prune — to trim
  4. band — a ring
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. prune — to trim
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a match
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. rule — government
  14. stand — to bear
  15. branch — a division
  16. rule — a law
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. scale — size or range
  19. wax — to grow
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. band — a music group
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. scale — for weighing

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