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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: perch · cue · wind · face · stand · scale · charge · field

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. field — farmland
  3. charge — a price
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. field — for sport
  6. perch — the fish
  7. wind — moving air
  8. charge — in control
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. cue — a signal
  11. scale — in music
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. charge — electricity
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. cue — a hint
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. face — part of the head
  18. wind — moving air
  19. field — a subject
  20. cue — for pool
  21. face — to confront
  22. scale — size or range
  23. face — to point toward
  24. stand — for spectators

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