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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 · spell · row · scale · fall · track · bay · prune

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. spell — magic
  4. fall — to drop
  5. spell — letters
  6. track — a path
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. spell — a short time
  9. row — to paddle
  10. track — a song
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. prune — to trim
  13. scale — size or range
  14. fall — the season
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. row — a line
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. track — to keep track
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. scale — in music

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