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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: rock · band · toast · staff · bowl · scale · mine · pitcher

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. rock — music
  4. staff — employees
  5. scale — size or range
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. band — a music group
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. staff — employees
  17. mine — for digging
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. staff — a stick
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. rock — a stone
  22. band — a ring
  23. toast — bread
  24. band — a rubber band

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