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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: fall · stock · wave · bark · row · branch · scale · lash

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. stock — shares
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bark — to shout
  8. stock — goods
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. branch — a division
  15. row — a line
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. row — to paddle

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