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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 · fall · racket · chest · branch · race · field · safe

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. race — a contest
  3. chest — a box
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — in music
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. field — for sport
  15. race — the arms race
  16. chest — of your body
  17. field — a subject
  18. race — humankind
  19. branch — a division
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. scale — size or range
  22. chest — of your body
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. field — farmland

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