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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: pop · arm · branch · firm · pass · stem · court · scale

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. pop — soda
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. court — of law
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of a king
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. pop — to visit
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — size or range
  14. branch — a division
  15. firm — decided
  16. pass — a permit
  17. stem — to come from
  18. firm — steady
  19. pop — music
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. arm — a part of something

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