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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: ball · toast · spring · craft · scale · bank · branch · wake

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. spring — of water
  4. ball — a great time
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. scale — size or range
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. craft — boats
  9. toast — bread
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. bank — for money
  12. scale — in music
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. spring — a coil
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. spring — the season
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. craft — a skill
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. ball — a dance
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bank — for money
  24. branch — a division

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