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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 · club · wake · mouse · wind · fall · branch · bear

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. club — a group
  3. scale — in music
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — a division
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. fall — the season
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — to drop
  13. scale — size or range
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. wake — a trail
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — for golf

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