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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: fall · prune · chip · lie · racket · field · scale · ground

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. fall — to drop
  3. chip — to eat
  4. lie — to recline
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — a position
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. field — farmland
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. fall — the season
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. ground — crushed
  15. chip — for betting
  16. field — a subject
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. fall — to drop
  20. field — for sport
  21. prune — to trim
  22. scale — size or range
  23. prune — to trim
  24. scale — for weighing

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