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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: fork · branch · bark · chest · spell · rash · staff · scale

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. scale — size or range
  3. branch — a division
  4. chest — a box
  5. chest — of your body
  6. staff — a stick
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. spell — a short time
  9. staff — employees
  10. bark — to shout
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. spell — magic
  14. staff — employees
  15. scale — in music
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. rash — hasty
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. rash — a series
  23. chest — of your body
  24. spell — letters

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