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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
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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 · spell · trunk · mine · scale · last · bowl · pit

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — magic
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. last — to go on
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. scale — in music
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. last — finally
  14. scale — size or range
  15. pit — in a race
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. spell — a short time
  23. mine — for digging
  24. last — final

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