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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.

Make a worksheet

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: kid · staff · patient · scale · root · branch · hand · key

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — in music
  3. key — for a lock
  4. staff — a stick
  5. kid — to tease
  6. hand — in cards
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. kid — child
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. staff — employees
  12. branch — a division
  13. root — the cause
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. key — in music
  16. key — the most important part
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. hand — help
  19. staff — employees
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. root — of a word
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. root — of a plant

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