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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.

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: ball · stem · scale · race · season · snap · bass · mine

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. scale — in music
  3. season — in sport
  4. race — the arms race
  5. snap — to click
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — of the year
  9. scale — size or range
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. race — humankind
  12. stem — to come from
  13. ball — a great time
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. race — a contest
  20. ball — a dance
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the fish
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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