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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: foot · swing · scale · plane · net · straw · rest · field

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. foot — a measure
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. net — after costs
  7. swing — to play on
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. swing — in golf
  10. rest — what's left
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. swing — music
  13. scale — size or range
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. net — in sport
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. field — farmland
  18. plane — a tool
  19. rest — a break
  20. field — a subject
  21. scale — in music
  22. rest — what's left
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. straw — dry grass

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