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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: lash · scale · deal · branch · capital · pop · mouse · trunk

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. scale — size or range
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — soda
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. capital — a city
  13. scale — in music
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. capital — money
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. deal — to handle
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. deal — an agreement

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