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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: bat · wind · date · tube · branch · pitcher · coach · scale

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. date — the fruit
  5. scale — in music
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bat — the animal
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. tube — a container
  16. branch — a division
  17. scale — size or range
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. tube — the underground
  22. wind — moving air
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. tube — in a tire

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