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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: branch · can · bowl · mark · spring · scale · fan · content

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. content — the amount
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a trace
  9. can — to be able to
  10. content — happy
  11. can — a tin
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. spring — the season
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. can — a tin
  16. scale — in music
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. mark — a grade
  19. spring — of water
  20. branch — a division
  21. scale — size or range
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. spring — a coil
  24. scale — for weighing

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