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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: press · scale · net · branch · bark · kid · mate · fall

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  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. bark — of a tree
  2. fall — to drop
  3. scale — size or range
  4. scale — in music
  5. net — after costs
  6. mate — a friend
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. kid — child
  13. branch — a division
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — a publisher
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. mate — to breed
  18. fall — the season
  19. bark — to shout
  20. mate — a partner
  21. press — to push
  22. kid — to tease
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  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