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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: scale · lash · roll · present · band · field · jam · patient

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — a subject
  3. scale — size or range
  4. roll — a cake
  5. roll — a list
  6. band — a music group
  7. present — the time now
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. field — for sport
  10. present — there
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. band — a ring
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. scale — in music
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. present — a gift
  24. patient — a sick person

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