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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: cell · toast · scale · spring · bass · stick · prune · bulb

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. scale — size or range
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bass — the fish
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bass — low music
  16. toast — bread
  17. cell — a phone
  18. scale — in music
  19. spring — of water
  20. prune — to trim
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. spring — the season
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. prune — the fruit

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