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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 · last · rush · wound · row · fan · branch · roll

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  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. scale — for weighing
  2. roll — a cake
  3. last — to go on
  4. roll — a list
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. wound — an injury
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. last — finally
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. row — to paddle
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. rush — hurry
  16. wound — an injury
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — a line
  19. last — final
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. branch — a division
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — size or range

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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