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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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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: field · pop · stand · pound · tear · scale

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pop — music
  4. field — farmland
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tear — from crying
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. field — a subject
  9. stand — to bear
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. field — for sport
  13. scale — in music
  14. pop — soda
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pop — to visit
  17. scale — size or range
  18. pound — a weight

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