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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: band · scale · bulb · net · hand · pitcher · wake · pit

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. band — a ring
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — in sport
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. band — a music group
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. scale — in music
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bulb — for light
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. wake — a trail
  16. scale — size or range
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. pit — in a race
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. hand — help
  24. net — for catching

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