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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: suit · season · roll · pop · scale · bass · prune · chest

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. scale — in music
  3. bass — the fish
  4. season — in sport
  5. scale — size or range
  6. pop — music
  7. suit — in cards
  8. prune — to trim
  9. suit — to fit
  10. pop — to visit
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pop — soda
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. season — of the year
  18. roll — a list
  19. chest — a box
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. roll — a cake
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. bass — low music
  24. chest — of your body

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