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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: fan · track · ruler · bowl · field · scale · bound · prune

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. prune — to trim
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. field — for sport
  6. scale — size or range
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bound — certain
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bound — obliged
  12. prune — to trim
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — a subject
  18. bound — tied together
  19. scale — in music
  20. track — a path
  21. track — to keep track
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. track — a song
  24. bowl — to roll

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