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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 120 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: fall · content · scale · pitch · dip · land · pop · prune

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. dip — to sink
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. pop — soda
  5. scale — size or range
  6. content — happy
  7. pitch — completely
  8. fall — to drop
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. land — ground
  11. content — the amount
  12. land — to come down
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — to visit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. land — a country
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. fall — the season
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. fall — to drop
  24. pitch — a sports field

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