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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: race · staff · toast · saw · shower · scale · mark · prune

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. prune — to trim
  3. toast — bread
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. prune — to trim
  7. race — a contest
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — humankind
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. staff — employees
  13. mark — a trace
  14. staff — employees
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — size or range
  17. saw — the tool
  18. staff — a stick
  19. mark — a grade
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. shower — rain
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. toast — the most admired
  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