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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: pound · field · chest · net · kid · calf · bowl · scale

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. field — for sport
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. field — a subject
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. chest — a box
  7. net — after costs
  8. pound — a weight
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. scale — in music
  13. field — farmland
  14. kid — child
  15. net — in sport
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — to tease
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. net — for catching
  24. bowl — a dish

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