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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.

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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 · hide · board · field · stick · lash

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. board — a committee
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — a subject
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. field — for sport
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — to get on
  17. scale — in music
  18. 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