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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 · field · file · nail · bank · pop · hand · racket

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. bank — of a river
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bank — for money
  5. pop — soda
  6. field — for sport
  7. file — a line of people
  8. scale — in music
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. hand — help
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bank — for money
  13. scale — size or range
  14. file — a document
  15. pop — music
  16. field — a subject
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pop — to visit
  19. field — farmland
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. file — a tool
  23. hand — in cards
  24. racket — for tennis

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