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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: mate · perch · branch · spring · key · fan · wax · scale

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. wax — to grow
  5. spring — the season
  6. mate — to breed
  7. key — for a lock
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. key — the most important part
  10. scale — in music
  11. perch — the fish
  12. mate — a friend
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. key — in music
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. branch — a division
  19. spring — of water
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. spring — a coil
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. scale — size or range

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