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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 · calf · rash · scale · pitcher · saw · pop · cabinet

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rash — a series
  4. pop — music
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. scale — size or range
  9. rash — hasty
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. pop — to visit
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pop — soda
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. saw — the tool
  24. calf — of the leg

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