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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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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: pitch · pound · ground · foot · scale · can · spring · clip

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. spring — the season
  3. ground — crushed
  4. clip — for paper
  5. ground — a position
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. clip — to cut
  10. foot — a measure
  11. clip — a video
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pitch — completely
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — of water
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. scale — in music
  19. ground — the earth
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. can — to be able to
  23. pound — a weight
  24. scale — size or range

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