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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
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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 · deal · march · band · straw · field · foot · charge

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. charge — in control
  3. band — a ring
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — in music
  6. charge — electricity
  7. field — a subject
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. march — music
  12. foot — a measure
  13. charge — a price
  14. march — the month
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. band — a music group
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. scale — size or range
  21. march — the month
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. field — farmland
  24. deal — to handle

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