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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: wave · race · ball · cabinet · scale · rest · prune · stem

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  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. race — humankind
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. ball — a dance
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. race — a contest
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. rest — what's left
  10. scale — size or range
  11. ball — a great time
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. scale — in music
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. stem — to come from
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rest — a break
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. rest — what's left
  23. race — the arms race
  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