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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 · trunk · fall · march · pit · scale · object · club

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  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. march — the month
  2. club — for dancing
  3. object — a thing
  4. object — to protest
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. scale — size or range
  7. object — an aim
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. club — a group
  11. pit — in a race
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. march — the month
  14. club — for golf
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pit — a hole
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. scale — in music
  22. march — music
  23. branch — a division
  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