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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: perch · cell · branch · mug · scale · tube · field · staff

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. mug — a cup
  3. field — for sport
  4. cell — a phone
  5. scale — in music
  6. mug — a face
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. tube — a container
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. tube — the underground
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. branch — a division
  14. perch — the fish
  15. mug — to rob
  16. staff — employees
  17. field — farmland
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. scale — size or range
  20. cell — in biology
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. cell — in a prison

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