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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: field · scale · capital · bear · date · stick · wound · lie

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. capital — a city
  5. date — the fruit
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. field — farmland
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bear — the animal
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. field — for sport
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. lie — to recline
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — in music
  17. field — a subject
  18. bear — the animal
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. capital — money
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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