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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 120 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: scale · chip · cap · craft · hand · branch · bass · trunk

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. scale — in music
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. chip — to eat
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bass — the fish
  7. hand — in cards
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. chip — for betting
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. hand — help
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — of ice
  16. craft — a skill
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. cap — a lid
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. branch — a division
  22. bass — low music
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. trunk — 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