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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: bank · mark · last · stem · pop · scale · key · drill

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. scale — in music
  3. key — for a lock
  4. bank — for money
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. mark — a grade
  7. scale — size or range
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. key — in music
  10. mark — a trace
  11. drill — the tool
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — music
  15. bank — for money
  16. drill — a practice
  17. last — final
  18. bank — of a river
  19. key — the most important part
  20. last — finally
  21. stem — to come from
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. drill — army training
  24. pop — soda

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