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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: pitcher · patient · vault · fall · branch · ball · scale · pop

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. scale — in music
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fall — the season
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. pop — to visit
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. pop — soda
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. vault — a safe
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. scale — size or range
  20. fall — to drop
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. ball — a dance
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. ball — a great time

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