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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  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. ball — a round shape
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. scale — in music
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. spring — of water
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. band — a music group
  10. spring — the season
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. ball — a great time
  13. band — a ring
  14. stem — to come from
  15. prune — to trim
  16. spring — a coil
  17. ball — a dance
  18. scale — size or range
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. prune — to trim
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. mouse — the animal
  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