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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: wake · pop · scale · perch · cap · pitcher · prune · firm

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. perch — the fish
  3. cap — a lid
  4. pop — music
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. firm — decided
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — of ice
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. prune — to trim
  15. scale — in music
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. firm — steady
  18. scale — size or range
  19. pop — to visit
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wake — a trail
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. pop — soda
  24. firm — a company

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