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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 120 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. stem — to come from
  6. clip — to cut
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. last — to go on
  9. staff — employees
  10. scale — size or range
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. clip — a video
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. last — final
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. rock — a stone
  19. clip — for paper
  20. rock — music
  21. staff — employees
  22. last — finally
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. staff — a stick

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