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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.

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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. present — the time now
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. content — the amount
  7. present — there
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. content — happy
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. stock — goods
  16. present — a gift
  17. plane — a tool
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. scale — size or range
  21. stock — shares
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — a division

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