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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. net — after costs
  3. rock — a stone
  4. branch — a division
  5. scale — in music
  6. tube — a container
  7. row — a line
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. scale — size or range
  11. rock — music
  12. net — for catching
  13. row — to paddle
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. tube — the underground
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. toast — bread
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. net — in sport

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