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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · tear · squash · spell · cap · coach · pitcher · present

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — in music
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. present — a gift
  9. cap — of ice
  10. spell — letters
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. tear — from crying
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. squash — the sport
  15. present — there
  16. tear — to rip
  17. spell — a short time
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. cap — a hat
  20. spell — magic
  21. present — the time now
  22. squash — to crush
  23. cap — a lid
  24. tear — from crying

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