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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: tear · rock · march · stand · pitcher · racket · scale · root

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. scale — size or range
  4. march — the month
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. rock — music
  7. root — of a plant
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. tear — from crying
  11. march — music
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. march — the month
  14. rock — a stone
  15. scale — in music
  16. stand — to bear
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. tear — from crying
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. tear — to rip
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a word
  24. stand — on your feet

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