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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: scale · lie · pitcher · foot · mine · band · bowl · rush

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. foot — a measure
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. rush — hurry
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a music group
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — for digging
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. scale — size or range
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. scale — in music
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. lie — to recline

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