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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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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 · kid · prune · scale · suit · wind · cap · toast

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. kid — to tease
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. suit — to fit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cap — of ice
  13. suit — clothes
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. scale — in music
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. toast — bread
  18. scale — size or range
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. kid — child
  21. wind — moving air
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. suit — in cards
  24. cap — a lid

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