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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: march · land · nail · bass · branch · present · toast · scale

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. toast — bread
  8. present — there
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. bass — the fish
  11. land — a country
  12. scale — size or range
  13. present — a gift
  14. land — ground
  15. march — music
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. march — the month
  18. land — to come down
  19. march — the month
  20. present — the time now
  21. scale — in music
  22. bass — low music
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bass — the instrument

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