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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: field · key · scale · prune · cap · shower · pitcher · bank

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. shower — rain
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. key — for a lock
  5. bank — of a river
  6. scale — size or range
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. key — the most important part
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. field — a subject
  11. prune — to trim
  12. field — for sport
  13. cap — of ice
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. scale — in music
  16. cap — a lid
  17. prune — to trim
  18. key — in music
  19. bank — for money
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bank — for money
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. shower — to wash
  24. field — farmland

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