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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 · mine · snap · bulb · jam · temple · wake · branch

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. scale — in music
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. mine — for digging
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bulb — for light
  17. snap — to click
  18. wake — a trail
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — a division
  24. scale — size or range

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