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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 · fan · trunk · mine · pass · fall · scale · ball

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pass — a permit
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. ball — a dance
  6. mine — for digging
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. scale — in music
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. fall — to drop
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. ball — a great time
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. scale — size or range
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. branch — a division

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