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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. scale — in music
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bound — certain
  5. field — for sport
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. field — farmland
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. bank — for money
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. field — a subject
  13. bound — obliged
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. bound — tied together
  17. fork — in a road
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bank — for money
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. bank — of a river
  24. scale — size or range

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