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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 · row · mark · field · last · tear · bass · mouse

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. scale — size or range
  3. last — finally
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. last — final
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mark — a trace
  9. field — a subject
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. tear — from crying
  12. last — to go on
  13. row — a line
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — in music
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. bass — low music
  20. field — farmland
  21. tear — to rip
  22. bass — the fish
  23. row — to paddle
  24. field — for sport

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