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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: staff · can · track · wind · fine · scale · prune · game

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. scale — size or range
  3. wind — moving air
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. track — to keep track
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. game — wild animals
  10. staff — employees
  11. prune — to trim
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. scale — in music
  14. staff — a stick
  15. staff — employees
  16. can — a tin
  17. fine — high quality
  18. prune — to trim
  19. track — a song
  20. track — a path
  21. fine — all right
  22. wind — moving air
  23. game — a match
  24. scale — for weighing

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