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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: calf · wake · fan · pit · pitcher · scale · mine · mark

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pit — in a race
  5. mark — a grade
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. mark — a trace
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. scale — size or range
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. scale — in music
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. pit — a hole
  24. calf — a young animal

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