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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: band · ruler · branch · hand · season · fork · wax · scale

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. band — a music group
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. season — in sport
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. band — a ring
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. scale — size or range
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. wax — to grow
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. hand — in cards
  20. scale — in music
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. season — of the year
  23. hand — help
  24. fork — to eat with

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