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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 · scale · spring · field · bank · club · roll · rock

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — a stone
  4. club — a group
  5. rock — music
  6. club — for dancing
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. field — for sport
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bank — for money
  12. club — for golf
  13. bank — for money
  14. spring — of water
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. field — a subject
  17. scale — size or range
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bank — of a river
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. roll — a cake
  23. field — farmland
  24. roll — a list

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