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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fine · scale · pop · mate · saw · prune

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. pop — soda
  7. mate — a friend
  8. scale — size or range
  9. mate — to breed
  10. fine — high quality
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. pop — to visit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pop — music
  15. scale — in music
  16. prune — to trim
  17. saw — the tool
  18. fine — all right

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