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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · pitcher · bound · present · shower · stick

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — in music
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. present — a gift
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. shower — rain
  8. bound — obliged
  9. present — the time now
  10. present — there
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. shower — to wash
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — certain
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. pitcher — a jug

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