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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: roll · scale · spring · degree · bulb · last · branch · rash

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. degree — from a university
  5. roll — a list
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bulb — for light
  8. last — finally
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. spring — the season
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. roll — a cake
  13. branch — a division
  14. scale — size or range
  15. last — to go on
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. spring — of water
  19. degree — an amount
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. scale — in music
  22. degree — temperature
  23. last — final
  24. spring — a coil

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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