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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.

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: foot · rest · scale · capital · hide · prune · bass · stem

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. stem — to come from
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. bass — low music
  5. capital — a city
  6. scale — in music
  7. bass — the fish
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. capital — money
  11. prune — to trim
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. prune — to trim
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. rest — what's left
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. foot — a measure
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. rest — a break
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. scale — for weighing

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