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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 · track · stem · bowl · band · rule · pitcher · cap

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. band — a ring
  3. cap — of ice
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. band — a music group
  6. track — a path
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — in music
  11. rule — a law
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a song
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. cap — a lid
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. scale — size or range
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cap — a hat
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. rule — government

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