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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 · lean · bowl · leaves · bulb · game · bank · scale

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. field — for sport
  7. scale — in music
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. bank — for money
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. field — farmland
  16. game — a match
  17. lean — thin
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bulb — for light
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — wild animals
  22. scale — size or range
  23. bank — for money
  24. field — a subject

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