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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: scale · track · cell · branch · saw · deal · kid · net

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. net — for catching
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. track — to keep track
  5. net — after costs
  6. kid — child
  7. track — a song
  8. scale — in music
  9. scale — size or range
  10. cell — a phone
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — a division
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. net — in sport
  21. deal — to handle
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. kid — to tease
  24. track — a path

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