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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: lean · scale · degree · patient · stand · fork · field · rock

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. scale — in music
  5. scale — size or range
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. degree — temperature
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. degree — from a university
  13. field — farmland
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rock — music
  19. field — a subject
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — thin
  22. stand — to bear
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. degree — an amount

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