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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 · toast · bass · bulb · court · plane · spell · stem

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bulb — for light
  3. toast — bread
  4. spell — letters
  5. scale — size or range
  6. court — of law
  7. bulb — for light
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. court — for sport
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. plane — a tool
  14. scale — in music
  15. bass — the fish
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — a short time
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. court — of a king
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. plane — in geometry

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