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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: board · scale · key · bass · plane · prune · row · branch

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. prune — to trim
  3. key — for a lock
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. branch — a division
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bass — the fish
  8. key — in music
  9. board — a committee
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. board — to get on
  13. key — the most important part
  14. prune — to trim
  15. row — a line
  16. row — to paddle
  17. plane — a tool
  18. scale — in music
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. branch — of a bank

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