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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: bay · scale · rash · root · cold · date · branch · stick

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. rash — a series
  3. root — of a word
  4. scale — in music
  5. cold — an illness
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cold — not warm
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. rash — hasty
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. branch — a division
  19. root — the cause
  20. root — of a plant
  21. date — the fruit
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. scale — size or range

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