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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. net — in sport
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — in music
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — to come from
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wound — an injury
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. net — after costs
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. net — for catching

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