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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 · stem · jam · racket · toast · cell · ground · bulb

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. ground — a position
  4. toast — bread
  5. scale — in music
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. ground — the earth
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. bulb — for light
  12. cell — a phone
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. cell — in biology
  21. ground — crushed
  22. stem — to come from
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — size or range

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