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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · lean · kid · scale · cap · wake · track · root

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. cap — of ice
  4. lean — thin
  5. track — a path
  6. kid — to tease
  7. root — of a word
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. track — to keep track
  11. kid — child
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. track — a song
  16. scale — in music
  17. root — the cause
  18. lean — to bend
  19. cap — a hat
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. scale — size or range
  22. root — of a plant
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. cap — a lid

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