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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 · ground · jam · prune · land · lean · face

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. ground — crushed
  4. land — to come down
  5. stem — to come from
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. face — part of the head
  8. scale — in music
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. land — a country
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. prune — to trim
  15. lean — to bend
  16. ground — the earth
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. ground — a position
  19. face — to confront
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. land — ground
  22. face — to point toward
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. lean — thin

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