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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.

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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: prune · band · scale · cell · cold · plane · wind · bulb

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. wind — moving air
  3. plane — a tool
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wind — moving air
  6. scale — size or range
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. cold — not warm
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cold — an illness
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. bulb — for light
  21. band — a music group
  22. bulb — for light
  23. cell — a phone
  24. plane — an aircraft

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