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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 120 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: stem · ruler · staff · file · bound · branch · scale · ball

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stem — to come from
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — employees
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. file — a document
  12. bound — tied together
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ball — a dance
  16. file — a tool
  17. bound — certain
  18. scale — size or range
  19. staff — a stick
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. scale — in music
  22. bound — obliged
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. file — a line of people

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