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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: stem · craft · key · shower · scale · pass · content · net

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. craft — boats
  3. net — in sport
  4. key — for a lock
  5. content — the amount
  6. net — after costs
  7. stem — to come from
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. scale — size or range
  10. craft — a skill
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. scale — in music
  13. key — in music
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. key — the most important part
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. pass — a permit
  18. shower — to wash
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. net — for catching
  21. shower — rain
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. pass — to succeed

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