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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: pound · row · pitcher · trunk · scale · stand · leaves · wound

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. row — a line
  3. stand — to bear
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. scale — in music
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. row — to paddle
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. scale — size or range
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. pound — a weight
  24. stand — on your feet

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