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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: field · nail · kid · scale · track · mark · prune · net

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — a subject
  4. net — in sport
  5. track — a song
  6. kid — child
  7. prune — to trim
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. mark — a trace
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. scale — in music
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. net — for catching
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. field — farmland
  16. kid — to tease
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. mark — a grade
  19. net — after costs
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. track — a path
  23. track — to keep track
  24. prune — to trim

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