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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: band · stem · cap · lie · pitcher · can · squash · scale

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cap — a hat
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — to come from
  7. cap — of ice
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. squash — the sport
  10. can — a tin
  11. scale — size or range
  12. lie — to recline
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. band — a music group
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. squash — to crush
  23. scale — in music
  24. band — a ring

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