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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: stem · nail · sharp · last · branch · key · bat · scale

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. branch — a division
  3. key — for a lock
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. key — the most important part
  7. last — to go on
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. stem — to come from
  13. scale — in music
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — clever
  16. last — final
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. scale — size or range
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. last — finally
  24. bat — the animal

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