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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: scale · land · nail · stand · stock · pitcher · pound · mine

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. scale — in music
  5. land — ground
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stock — shares
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — a country
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. pound — a weight
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. stock — goods
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. mine — for digging
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. stand — to bear
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. pitcher — a jug

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