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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. land — a country
  5. scale — in music
  6. land — to come down
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. land — ground
  9. pass — a permit
  10. bass — low music
  11. shower — rain
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. cap — a hat
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bass — the fish
  19. cap — a lid
  20. prune — to trim
  21. scale — size or range
  22. cap — of ice
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. prune — to trim

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