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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
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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: land · board · ball · root · pitcher · spell · mouse · scale

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. land — a country
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. ball — a dance
  6. land — to come down
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. root — of a word
  9. board — to get on
  10. scale — size or range
  11. spell — a short time
  12. scale — in music
  13. ball — a great time
  14. board — a committee
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. root — of a plant
  17. land — ground
  18. root — the cause
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. spell — letters
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mouse — the animal

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