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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: lean · key · prune · fine · snap · scale · mate · cell

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. mate — a partner
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. prune — to trim
  5. scale — size or range
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. cell — a phone
  8. mate — to breed
  9. snap — to click
  10. lean — to bend
  11. key — for a lock
  12. mate — a friend
  13. fine — high quality
  14. key — in music
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. key — the most important part
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. lean — thin
  21. scale — in music
  22. prune — to trim
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. cell — in biology

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