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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: kick · branch · cell · spring · mine · scale · craft · mark

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. kick — in football
  3. spring — of water
  4. scale — in music
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. cell — a phone
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. craft — boats
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mark — a trace
  15. craft — a skill
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. scale — size or range
  18. mark — a grade
  19. spring — a coil
  20. branch — a division
  21. cell — in biology
  22. mine — for digging
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. branch — of a bank

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