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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: trunk · tear · board · scale · pitcher · game · band · calf

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. game — wild animals
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. tear — to rip
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. tear — from crying
  11. board — to get on
  12. tear — from crying
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. game — a match
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. scale — size or range
  17. band — a music group
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. board — a committee
  24. band — a ring

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