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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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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: stick · roll · prune · cap · scale · drill · dip · court

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. drill — a practice
  3. scale — size or range
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. cap — of ice
  6. roll — a cake
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. dip — to sink
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. prune — to trim
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. cap — a hat
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. cap — a lid
  17. roll — a list
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. drill — the tool
  21. court — of law
  22. prune — to trim
  23. scale — in music
  24. roll — on a roll

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