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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: sharp · field · kid · mark · wave · scale · pop · rash

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. kid — child
  3. pop — soda
  4. mark — a trace
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. pop — music
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. pop — to visit
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — a series
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. mark — a grade
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — clever
  15. field — a subject
  16. rash — hasty
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. field — for sport
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — size or range
  23. field — farmland
  24. kid — to tease

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