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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 · spell · stick · prune · racket · scale · cabinet · cold

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. spell — magic
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. cold — not warm
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. prune — to trim
  13. scale — size or range
  14. spell — a short time
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. scale — in music
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. cold — an illness

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