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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: pass · wind · leaves · scale · last · content · pitcher · branch

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. last — finally
  5. scale — in music
  6. pass — a permit
  7. wind — moving air
  8. scale — size or range
  9. wind — moving air
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. last — to go on
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. branch — a division
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. last — final
  23. content — happy
  24. branch — of a tree

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