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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.

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: branch · fine · clip · rash · racket · scale · staff · land

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. scale — size or range
  3. clip — to cut
  4. scale — in music
  5. fine — all right
  6. land — a country
  7. rash — hasty
  8. staff — employees
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. staff — employees
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. rash — a series
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. land — to come down
  16. fine — high quality
  17. staff — a stick
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. land — ground
  20. clip — a video
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. clip — for paper
  24. rash — on the skin

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