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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: scale · pitcher · fork · last · mark · branch · cap · drill

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. cap — of ice
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. scale — size or range
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. drill — army training
  8. last — finally
  9. fork — in a road
  10. branch — a division
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. last — to go on
  15. cap — a hat
  16. scale — in music
  17. cap — a lid
  18. last — final
  19. drill — the tool
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. drill — a practice
  24. mark — a trace

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