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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: kick · scale · fork · mine · bank · cue · arm · field

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — in music
  4. fork — in a road
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. mine — for digging
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. kick — in football
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. field — farmland
  14. bank — of a river
  15. cue — a signal
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. field — a subject
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. cue — a hint
  21. bank — for money
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. field — for sport
  24. bank — for money

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