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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.

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: bore · pop · scale · perch · pitch · shower · branch · kid

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — soda
  3. scale — size or range
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. shower — to wash
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. scale — in music
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. pop — music
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. kid — to tease
  18. branch — a division
  19. bore — to drill
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. shower — rain
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. bore — to tire

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