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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · root · hand · branch · fork · scale · rest · spell

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. root — the cause
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. rest — a break
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a match
  9. spell — magic
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — a division
  12. fork — in a road
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — of a word
  16. hand — in cards
  17. spell — letters
  18. rest — what's left
  19. hand — help
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. scale — in music
  22. rest — what's left
  23. spell — a short time
  24. fork — a garden tool

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