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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: rock · foot · squash · scale · cell · prune · march · season

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. rock — music
  4. march — music
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. march — the month
  7. prune — to trim
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. squash — the sport
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. march — the month
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — in music
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rock — a stone
  18. foot — a measure
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. season — of the year
  21. cell — in biology
  22. season — in sport
  23. cell — a phone
  24. scale — size or range

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