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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 · chest · prune · cabinet · stem · mark · can · rash

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. chest — of your body
  4. scale — in music
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. rash — a series
  8. prune — to trim
  9. can — to be able to
  10. scale — size or range
  11. mark — a trace
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. can — a tin
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. rash — hasty
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. stem — to come from
  22. chest — a box
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. can — a tin

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