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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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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 · mark · hand · rash · band · branch · deal · prune

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. scale — in music
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. prune — to trim
  5. band — a ring
  6. rash — a series
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. hand — help
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. mark — a trace
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rash — hasty
  15. hand — in cards
  16. scale — size or range
  17. deal — to handle
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. band — a music group
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mark — to pay attention

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