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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bound · spring · fan · pit · suit · field · scale · chip

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. suit — in cards
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. suit — clothes
  5. field — farmland
  6. scale — in music
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. field — a subject
  9. spring — the season
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. spring — a coil
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. chip — to eat
  15. spring — of water
  16. pit — in a race
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — obliged
  19. pit — a hole
  20. scale — size or range
  21. chip — for betting
  22. field — for sport
  23. suit — to fit
  24. bound — tied together

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