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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.

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: mate · prune · craft · stem · pitcher · cold · bulb · scale

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. scale — size or range
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — to breed
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bulb — for light
  8. stem — to come from
  9. bulb — for light
  10. scale — in music
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. craft — boats
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. prune — to trim
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — not warm
  21. mate — a partner
  22. cold — an illness
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. prune — the fruit

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