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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: clip · ball · row · stem · pop · scale · mark · mouse

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. clip — a video
  4. ball — a great time
  5. stem — to come from
  6. scale — size or range
  7. pop — music
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — to cut
  10. row — to paddle
  11. mark — a grade
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. pop — to visit
  14. mark — a trace
  15. pop — soda
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. row — a line
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. scale — in music
  23. ball — a dance
  24. stem — of a plant

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