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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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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: branch · stick · row · scale · wave · foot · key · snap

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. key — the most important part
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. snap — to click
  8. branch — a division
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. key — in music
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. row — a line
  15. key — for a lock
  16. scale — size or range
  17. row — to paddle
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. foot — a measure
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. scale — in music

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