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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: spell · cap · leaves · wake · scale · track · pitch · saw

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  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. pitch — a sports field
  2. track — to keep track
  3. scale — size or range
  4. track — a path
  5. spell — magic
  6. cap — a hat
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. cap — of ice
  14. wake — a trail
  15. pitch — completely
  16. cap — a lid
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — a short time
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. track — a song
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. leaves — to go away
  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