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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. rest — what's left
  3. scale — size or range
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. rest — a break
  6. scale — in music
  7. stock — shares
  8. club — a group
  9. cell — a phone
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. club — for golf
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. prune — to trim
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. rest — what's left
  18. club — for dancing
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fork — in a road
  22. stock — goods
  23. saw — the tool
  24. stock — a soup base

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