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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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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. rest — what's left
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. field — farmland
  5. scale — size or range
  6. scale — in music
  7. hand — help
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — the season
  10. last — finally
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. field — a subject
  13. bank — for money
  14. rest — what's left
  15. last — to go on
  16. spring — of water
  17. hand — in cards
  18. field — for sport
  19. bank — for money
  20. rest — a break
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bank — of a river
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. last — final

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