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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 116 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: bank · pitch · scale · chair · spell · trunk · spring · bat

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bank — of a river
  6. spring — the season
  7. scale — in music
  8. bat — the animal
  9. spell — magic
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. spell — letters
  12. chair — a leader
  13. spring — of water
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. bank — for money
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. bank — for money
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. spell — a short time
  24. pitch — completely

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