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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: rest · cabinet · scale · prune · saw · mine · bass · club

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. club — for golf
  6. prune — to trim
  7. saw — the tool
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bass — low music
  11. prune — to trim
  12. club — for dancing
  13. scale — in music
  14. rest — what's left
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. club — a group
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bass — the fish
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. rest — what's left
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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