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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: board · scale · march · foot · wound · field · bulb · pop

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. scale — in music
  3. bulb — for light
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. field — a subject
  6. march — music
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. pop — soda
  9. board — a committee
  10. scale — size or range
  11. march — the month
  12. bulb — for light
  13. field — farmland
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — to visit
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. wound — an injury
  18. field — for sport
  19. board — to get on
  20. march — the month
  21. wound — an injury
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. foot — a measure

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