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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · bass · mate · leaves · track · mark · scale · prune

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. mate — a friend
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bass — low music
  5. track — a path
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. mark — a grade
  8. track — to keep track
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. track — a song
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a partner
  19. scale — in music
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bass — the fish
  23. scale — size or range
  24. prune — the fruit

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