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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: snap · ball · bulb · field · scale · rush · mine · board

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — hurry
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. field — farmland
  6. scale — in music
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — to get on
  9. mine — for digging
  10. scale — size or range
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. snap — to click
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. ball — a dance
  16. field — for sport
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. field — a subject
  21. bulb — for light
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. ball — a great time

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