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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bark · scale · stem · racket · branch · kick · net · last

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. last — finally
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — in sport
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — a division
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. net — after costs
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. scale — in music
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. kick — in football
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. last — final
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. last — to go on
  24. bark — to shout

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