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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: date · pitcher · ground · bank · perch · calf · scale · key

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. ground — a position
  3. bank — for money
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. scale — size or range
  6. perch — the fish
  7. key — the most important part
  8. scale — in music
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bank — of a river
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. ground — the earth
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. key — for a lock
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. key — in music
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bank — for money
  21. ground — crushed
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. perch — for a bird

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