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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: pitcher · bark · wax · scale · capital · season · calf · rest

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. capital — money
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. scale — size or range
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. rest — what's left
  14. scale — in music
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. bark — to shout
  17. capital — a city
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — of the year
  20. wax — to grow
  21. rest — a break
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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