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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: leaves · scale · mate · ball · stem · shower · sharp · rock

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. mate — to breed
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. stem — to come from
  11. shower — to wash
  12. ball — a great time
  13. rock — a stone
  14. mate — a friend
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. scale — in music
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. sharp — clever
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. mate — a partner
  23. scale — size or range
  24. sharp — with an edge

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