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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 120 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: pitcher · bowl · wound · board · dip · pop · scale · lean

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. lean — thin
  4. board — to get on
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. scale — size or range
  7. pop — to visit
  8. lean — to bend
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. board — a committee
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wound — an injury
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. pop — music
  22. scale — in music
  23. pop — soda
  24. dip — to sink

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