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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: stand · drill · swing · field · mark · firm · scale · perch

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. drill — the tool
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. scale — in music
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. firm — a company
  9. firm — decided
  10. field — a subject
  11. drill — a practice
  12. mark — a grade
  13. swing — in golf
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. swing — to play on
  16. firm — steady
  17. scale — size or range
  18. drill — army training
  19. mark — a trace
  20. field — for sport
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. field — farmland
  23. perch — the fish
  24. swing — music

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