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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: scale · bowl · bound · club · pitcher · rest · deal · prune

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. scale — in music
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. club — a group
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. club — for dancing
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bound — certain
  16. prune — to trim
  17. deal — to handle
  18. rest — a break
  19. club — for golf
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bound — tied together
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. bound — obliged

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