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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. fine — high quality
  3. rest — what's left
  4. scale — size or range
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. rest — what's left
  7. scale — in music
  8. fine — all right
  9. prune — to trim
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. rest — a break
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. racket — for tennis

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