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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
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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: roll · arm · field · club · rash · snap · scale · rock

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. rash — hasty
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. field — farmland
  5. roll — a list
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. club — a group
  9. field — a subject
  10. rock — music
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. scale — in music
  14. snap — to click
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. field — for sport
  18. rash — a series
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. club — for dancing
  21. scale — size or range
  22. club — for golf
  23. rock — a stone
  24. roll — a cake

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