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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  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. scale — size or range
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bass — the fish
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. cell — a phone
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. cell — in biology
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. row — a line
  13. row — to paddle
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. scale — in music
  16. stem — to come from
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. plane — a tool
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. bass — low music
  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