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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: scale · rest · staff · tube · spell · field · date · roll

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. field — a subject
  3. tube — a container
  4. scale — size or range
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. staff — employees
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. rest — a break
  9. spell — letters
  10. roll — a cake
  11. date — the fruit
  12. tube — the underground
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. spell — a short time
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. rest — what's left
  17. field — for sport
  18. scale — in music
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. staff — employees
  21. spell — magic
  22. rest — what's left
  23. staff — a stick
  24. field — farmland

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