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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.

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: pitcher · squash · bear · wake · fork · press · scale · firm

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. firm — decided
  3. firm — steady
  4. firm — a company
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. wake — a trail
  7. squash — the sport
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. scale — size or range
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. press — a publisher
  14. squash — to crush
  15. bear — the animal
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. press — to push
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. press — newspapers
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bear — the animal
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. fork — in a road
  24. scale — in music

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