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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: bulb · rash · fine · racket · field · scale · bank · bark

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  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. rash — hasty
  2. bank — for money
  3. bark — to shout
  4. field — farmland
  5. scale — in music
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bank — of a river
  9. fine — high quality
  10. scale — size or range
  11. fine — all right
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. bank — for money
  18. rash — a series
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. field — for sport
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. rash — on the skin
  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