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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 · sharp · pitcher · pop · branch · swing · track · plane

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. track — a path
  4. sharp — clever
  5. swing — in golf
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. track — a song
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. track — to keep track
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. branch — a division
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — music
  14. swing — music
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. pop — to visit
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — size or range
  23. swing — to play on
  24. pitcher — a jug

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