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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: chest · capital · scale · mark · branch · ruler · roll · club

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. chest — of your body
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. scale — size or range
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. chest — of your body
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. club — for dancing
  11. scale — in music
  12. chest — a box
  13. club — for golf
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. capital — a city
  17. branch — a division
  18. club — a group
  19. roll — a cake
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. roll — a list
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mark — a trace
  24. capital — money

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