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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: present · mine · drill · pit · branch · roll · sharp · scale

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. scale — in music
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. drill — a practice
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. roll — a cake
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. branch — a division
  12. present — there
  13. present — a gift
  14. pit — a hole
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. sharp — clever
  18. present — the time now
  19. pit — in a race
  20. mine — for digging
  21. drill — the tool
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. drill — army training
  24. branch — of a bank

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