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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: branch · lean · fall · tube · spell · toast · scale · ball

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. spell — letters
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. toast — bread
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lean — thin
  9. fall — to drop
  10. tube — a container
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. fall — the season
  13. scale — in music
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a dance
  16. spell — a short time
  17. tube — the underground
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. spell — magic
  20. fall — to drop
  21. ball — a great time
  22. branch — a division
  23. scale — size or range
  24. toast — the most admired

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