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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: rush · object · wave · scale · field · bound · present · court

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — obliged
  5. present — a gift
  6. court — of a king
  7. rush — hurry
  8. field — a subject
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. scale — in music
  12. field — farmland
  13. present — the time now
  14. object — a thing
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. present — there
  17. court — of law
  18. scale — size or range
  19. court — for sport
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. field — for sport
  22. bound — tied together
  23. object — to protest
  24. object — an aim

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