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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: foot · rash · scale · toast · pitcher · stem · fan · field

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — a series
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. foot — a measure
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. field — for sport
  13. toast — bread
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. scale — in music
  17. field — farmland
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. field — a subject
  24. scale — for weighing

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