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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: net · squash · stem · ground · date · scale · cold · toast

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. cold — an illness
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — not warm
  7. net — for catching
  8. squash — to crush
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. ground — a position
  11. net — after costs
  12. squash — the sport
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. toast — bread
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. ground — the earth
  17. date — the fruit
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. net — in sport
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. stem — to come from
  22. scale — size or range
  23. ground — crushed
  24. toast — the most admired

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