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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 · chair · wound · toast · bass · saw · court

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. court — for sport
  4. branch — a division
  5. scale — size or range
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. court — of law
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. chair — a leader
  10. toast — bread
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bass — low music
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. saw — the tool
  20. scale — in music
  21. wound — an injury
  22. court — of a king
  23. bass — the fish
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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