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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: scale · prune · track · clip · wake · drill · stem · wave

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a song
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. prune — to trim
  6. scale — in music
  7. drill — the tool
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — to cut
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. prune — to trim
  12. scale — size or range
  13. drill — a practice
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. clip — for paper
  22. wake — a trail
  23. drill — army training
  24. track — a path

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