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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · branch · bowl · land · mouse · clip · squash · bay

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. squash — the sport
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. land — a country
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. scale — in music
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. squash — to crush
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. scale — size or range
  13. land — ground
  14. clip — for paper
  15. land — to come down
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. clip — a video
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. clip — to cut
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. mouse — for a computer

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