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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 · fine · dip · trunk · lie · scale · sharp · game

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. scale — in music
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. fine — high quality
  13. lie — to recline
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. game — wild animals
  17. sharp — clever
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. game — a match
  22. scale — size or range
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. dip — to sink

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