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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: pitch · ground · plane · shower · leaves · tube · scale · bear

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  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. ground — crushed
  2. scale — in music
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. tube — a container
  6. bear — the animal
  7. plane — a tool
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — a position
  11. shower — rain
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — to wash
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. pitch — completely
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. bear — the animal
  23. tube — the underground
  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