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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: cabinet · scale · field · ground · hand · wind · deal · bass

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bass — the fish
  4. field — farmland
  5. scale — size or range
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bass — low music
  8. field — a subject
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. hand — help
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — crushed
  15. field — for sport
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. deal — to handle
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. ground — the earth

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