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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: band · track · scale · spring · wave · pitch · land · bulb

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. scale — in music
  3. bulb — for light
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. spring — a coil
  6. land — to come down
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. bulb — for light
  9. track — a path
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. land — a country
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. spring — the season
  14. band — a music group
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — completely
  17. scale — size or range
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. spring — of water
  20. band — a ring
  21. track — a song
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. land — ground

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