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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: bank · rock · sharp · pitch · scale · staff · mine · row

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. staff — a stick
  3. rock — music
  4. bank — of a river
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. scale — in music
  7. row — a line
  8. mine — for digging
  9. staff — employees
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. scale — size or range
  13. row — to paddle
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. staff — employees
  16. rock — a stone
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitch — completely
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — clever
  21. bank — for money
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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