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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.

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: scale · branch · cue · plane · bat · degree · club · straw

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. degree — temperature
  4. cue — a hint
  5. plane — a tool
  6. club — a group
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. branch — a division
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. scale — size or range
  11. club — for golf
  12. bat — the animal
  13. scale — in music
  14. degree — an amount
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. cue — a signal
  19. degree — from a university
  20. cue — for pool
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. branch — of a tree

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