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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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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: prune · game · rest · scale · row · season

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. row — to paddle
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — a break
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. game — wild animals
  7. scale — in music
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. prune — to trim
  10. row — a line
  11. scale — size or range
  12. game — a match
  13. season — of the year
  14. rest — what's left
  15. season — in sport
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. game — a kind of play

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