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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 120 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: bark · field · fine · tube · bay · season · scale · mark

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. field — farmland
  3. scale — size or range
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. season — of the year
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. field — a subject
  13. scale — in music
  14. fine — high quality
  15. field — for sport
  16. bark — to shout
  17. fine — all right
  18. mark — a grade
  19. tube — the underground
  20. season — in sport
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. tube — a container
  24. fine — a penalty

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