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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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. can — to be able to
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. mark — a trace
  8. stem — to come from
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. mark — a grade
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. can — a tin
  18. bat — the animal
  19. prune — to trim
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. scale — size or range
  24. can — a tin

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