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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: stick · lean · charge · rash · scale · mark · field · spring

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. lean — to bend
  3. mark — a trace
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. scale — size or range
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. scale — in music
  11. spring — of water
  12. charge — electricity
  13. field — a subject
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. charge — in control
  16. field — farmland
  17. mark — a grade
  18. spring — the season
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. charge — a price
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — hasty
  24. spring — a coil

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