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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: kick · bore · field · firm · scale · cabinet · season · wind

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. firm — a company
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. kick — in football
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. scale — in music
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bore — to drill
  11. firm — steady
  12. field — farmland
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. field — a subject
  15. bore — to tire
  16. field — for sport
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. firm — decided
  19. season — in sport
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. season — of the year
  24. wind — moving air

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