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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.

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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: spell · fork · march · scale · branch · saw · prune · stock

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. branch — a division
  4. saw — the tool
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. prune — to trim
  8. march — music
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. stock — shares
  12. spell — letters
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. stock — goods
  15. scale — in music
  16. march — the month
  17. fork — in a road
  18. march — the month
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. saw — the tool
  21. spell — magic
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. scale — size or range
  24. prune — to trim

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