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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: racket · pass · clip · scale · date · march · current · prune

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — in music
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. prune — to trim
  5. clip — a video
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. march — the month
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. march — music
  11. clip — to cut
  12. prune — to trim
  13. date — the fruit
  14. march — the month
  15. clip — for paper
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. current — electric
  21. current — of water
  22. current — happening now
  23. pass — a permit
  24. scale — for weighing

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