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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: pitcher · mouse · row · nail · prune · rock · object · scale

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. row — a line
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. prune — to trim
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. rock — a stone
  13. row — to paddle
  14. object — a thing
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — in music
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. rock — music
  20. object — an aim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. row — a quarrel

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