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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 116 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: mug · band · root · branch · scale · bark · drill · board

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — to rob
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. drill — a practice
  6. mug — a face
  7. board — a committee
  8. band — a music group
  9. scale — size or range
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. scale — in music
  14. root — of a plant
  15. drill — army training
  16. board — to get on
  17. root — the cause
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. root — of a word
  21. band — a ring
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. scale — for weighing

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