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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 · bear · dip · branch · row · hide · pitcher · field

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. field — a subject
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. dip — to sink
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. row — a line
  11. bear — the animal
  12. scale — in music
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bear — the animal
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. branch — a division
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. field — farmland
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. field — for sport
  24. row — to paddle

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