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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: bear · wave · rest · cold · pit · scale · track · date

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. cold — not warm
  5. track — a path
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pit — in a race
  8. rest — a break
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. cold — an illness
  12. bear — the animal
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. bear — the animal
  15. rest — what's left
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. rest — what's left
  18. track — to keep track
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pit — a hole
  21. scale — size or range
  22. date — the fruit
  23. track — a song
  24. date — on the calendar

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