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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. root — the cause
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. scale — in music
  9. band — a music group
  10. root — of a word
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. march — the month
  13. band — a ring
  14. prune — to trim
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. prune — to trim
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. root — of a plant
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. stem — to come from
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. scale — size or range
  24. hide — to keep secret

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