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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 116 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: pitcher · swing · scale · staff · rock · bark · wind · capital

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. capital — money
  5. bark — to shout
  6. swing — music
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. staff — employees
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. staff — a stick
  14. scale — in music
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. rock — a stone
  17. swing — to play on
  18. wind — moving air
  19. scale — size or range
  20. staff — employees
  21. rock — music
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. swing — in golf

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