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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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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: firm · trunk · branch · last · sharp · band · scale · file

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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. last — finally
  4. branch — a division
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. last — to go on
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. band — a ring
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. file — a document
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. last — final
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. sharp — clever
  16. firm — a company
  17. firm — steady
  18. file — a line of people
  19. firm — decided
  20. scale — size or range
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. file — a tool
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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