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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: leaves · scale · foot · squash · clip · ground · pitch · band

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. foot — a measure
  5. ground — crushed
  6. squash — to crush
  7. ground — a position
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. scale — size or range
  11. squash — the sport
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. band — a ring
  14. clip — for paper
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. clip — to cut
  20. ground — the earth
  21. scale — in music
  22. pitch — completely
  23. band — a music group
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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