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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 · cold · cabinet · capital · scale · fall · pound · bear

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. cold — not warm
  6. fall — the season
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. capital — a city
  9. cold — an illness
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bear — the animal
  13. capital — money
  14. scale — in music
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — a weight
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. fall — to drop
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bear — the animal
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. scale — size or range

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