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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 · arm · scale · spring · land · wave · firm · content

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. branch — a division
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. land — a country
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. spring — the season
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. content — the amount
  12. firm — a company
  13. spring — a coil
  14. scale — in music
  15. firm — steady
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — happy
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — size or range
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. firm — decided
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. spring — of water

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