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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bass · land · cell · rest · scale · can · prune · lean

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. cell — a phone
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lean — to bend
  5. prune — to trim
  6. land — ground
  7. can — a tin
  8. cell — in biology
  9. scale — in music
  10. bass — the fish
  11. rest — what's left
  12. land — to come down
  13. prune — to trim
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. scale — size or range
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. rest — a break
  22. rest — what's left
  23. lean — thin
  24. land — a country

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