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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: scale · root · nail · sharp · bay · land · pitcher · stick

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. land — to come down
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. scale — in music
  9. land — a country
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. scale — size or range
  15. root — the cause
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. land — ground
  21. root — of a plant
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. root — of a word
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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