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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: scale · can · field · wind · lash · lie · pitcher · cell

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. lie — to recline
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. can — to be able to
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. cell — a phone
  7. scale — size or range
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. cell — in biology
  11. field — a subject
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. field — for sport
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. can — a tin
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. can — a tin
  18. wind — moving air
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. field — farmland
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wind — moving air

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