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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. rock — music
  3. ground — a position
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. ground — the earth
  6. scale — size or range
  7. prune — to trim
  8. band — a ring
  9. scale — in music
  10. deal — to handle
  11. prune — to trim
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. rock — a stone
  17. stem — to come from
  18. ground — crushed
  19. band — a music group
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. rock — to move gently

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