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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 · band · prune · kid · track · safe · scale · season

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — a path
  3. prune — to trim
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. track — to keep track
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. band — a ring
  9. kid — child
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. scale — in music
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — in sport
  14. kid — to tease
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. scale — size or range
  19. prune — to trim
  20. season — of the year
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. band — a music group
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. scale — for weighing

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