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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: stem · club · scale · prune · wake · cue · foot · pitcher

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  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. prune — the fruit
  2. cue — a signal
  3. foot — a measure
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cue — a hint
  6. club — for golf
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. cue — for pool
  12. scale — in music
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wake — a trail
  15. scale — size or range
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. prune — to trim
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. stem — to come from
  21. club — a group
  22. club — for dancing
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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