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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: scale · lash · rest · bear · branch · date · net · cell

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — the animal
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. branch — a division
  5. rest — a break
  6. net — for catching
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. rest — what's left
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. net — in sport
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. net — after costs
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — in biology
  20. date — the fruit
  21. rest — what's left
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. scale — size or range
  24. cell — a phone

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