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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: temple · bulb · scale · mate · branch · march · bark · plane

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. march — music
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — to shout
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a partner
  10. scale — size or range
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. scale — in music
  17. march — the month
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. plane — a tool
  20. branch — a division
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. mate — a friend
  23. march — the month
  24. scale — for weighing

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