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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.

Make a worksheet

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: scale · bass · object · hand · kid · plane · prune · toast

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. kid — to tease
  3. object — to protest
  4. bass — low music
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. object — an aim
  9. toast — bread
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. plane — a tool
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. bass — the fish
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. kid — child
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. prune — to trim
  19. object — a thing
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. hand — help
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — in music

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