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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: bulb · ball · branch · stem · bay · kid · scale · net

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. kid — to tease
  3. branch — a division
  4. ball — a dance
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bulb — for light
  8. scale — size or range
  9. kid — child
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. net — for catching
  12. bulb — for light
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. stem — to come from
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — in music
  24. ball — a great time

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